Harry's Head of House
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: What if Harry had a different Head of House in spite of being sorted into Gryffindor? Completely AU, partly OOC, sick!Harry
1. Chapter 1

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

* * *

Chapter 1**

"Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat shouted, and under the immense applause of the Gryffindors Harry took a seat at his new House table.

As soon as all first years were sorted, the Headmaster rose to make an announcement. "Dear students, welcome to Hogwarts for the first years, welcome back for all the others. For this year, we have made other arrangements than in recent years concerning the Heads of the Houses. This year, Professor Flitwick will be the Hufflepuff Head of House, Professor Sprout the Slytherin Head of House, while Professor McGonagall will be responsible for Ravenclaw and Professor Snape for Gryffindor. This arrangement is new for everyone and I expect all of you to cooperate with your House mates and your teachers. Now, that was enough of my babbling, tuck in everyone!" he continued over the huge collective groan that could be heard from the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables.

With that the meal appeared on the tables. "Which one is Professor Snape?" Harry asked the Weasley twins, who were sitting to his left side and groaned at the question.

"The one with the long black hair that looks greasy if you're near him," George whispered, pointing to the Head table.

"That's the worst that could have happened," his twin Fred agreed.

Harry, who had followed the twins' outstretched fingers, looked at the man, who chose the same moment to glance at him, and Harry felt a sharp pain in his forehead. '_Ouch, that hurt_,' he mused, wearily putting up a hand to his scar.

Nobody could say that he wasn't used to pain; his uncle had provided for that, especially since it was clear that Harry was going to attend Hogwarts.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione, the girl that was sitting on his other side, asked in concern.

"Yes; it just hurt for a moment, but I'm fine," Harry replied quickly and turned back to his dinner. Everything on the plates looked absolutely delicious, but after a few bites he felt so full that he was afraid to get sick if he ate more.

After dinner, Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor fifth year prefect, led the first years to the Gryffindor common room and showed them where their dormitories were, explaining that they had to go to bed immediately on the first evening.

Harry and his roommates had just arrived in their dormitory when the sixth year prefect stuck his head through the door. "Sorry to disturb you, lads, but Professor Snape wants us all down in the common room for a House meeting," he announced.

Harry tiredly dragged himself back down the stairs, wondering what the House meeting would be about. The teacher introduced himself, held a small monologue about House unity and told them that the sixth year students had to take turns in the common room, so that every evening there would be two sixth year students, whom the younger students could ask if they had questions.

"Additionally, I'll be present in the common room from half an hour before curfew until curfew every night, and you're welcome to ask if you have any questions. I don't mind if it concerns your studies or private matters. The door to my office has been moved and is now opposite of your portrait hole. You're welcome to come and see me whenever you encounter any problems."

'_He doesn't sound too bad_,' Harry mused, wondering why his older House mates had reacted so badly on the news that they had a new Head of House this year.

The teacher's silky voice pulled Harry out of his thoughts. "I wish all the first years to go to the hospital wing with me for a quick check up by our Mediwitch, Madam Pomfrey. Everyone else is dismissed; you know your bed times. All first years follow me, please."

'_Oh no!_' Harry thought absolutely terrified. '_What am I going to do? What if she notices the scars and bruises all over my body, especially on my back?_'

"Harry!" Ron called out to him before he could begin to panic, and Harry noticed that he was waiting at the portrait hole.

"Oh sorry," Harry mumbled, hurrying after his new friend.

HP

Severus proficiently watched his new first years. He wasn't a spy for nothing. Everyone seemed all right apart from... '_Potter!_' he thought in complete surprise. '_Who would have thought that he might be abused? But it's so obvious; he's nearly panicking_.'

"Let me assure you that Madam Pomfrey is not going to eat you alive," he sneered at the child, noticing that his face turned even whiter if that was still possible.

Severus led the first years into the hospital wing and introduced them to Madam Pomfrey, noticing that Potter's breathing became laboured. '_Why is he panicking because of seeing Poppy?_' he mused, inwardly shaking his head, not aware of the fact that Harry had never been taken to a doctor or a Mediwitch before.

Madam Pomfrey ordered each of them to sit down on one of the white beds, before she waved her wand around the room, conjuring white curtains around each of the beds.

"Potter last," Severus whispered to his colleague, knowing that she would understand the complete meaning behind the short words.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry patiently waited on the crispy white bed that felt wonderfully comfortable to his aching limbs. He had the feeling that it took ages until the Mediwitch finally pulled the curtain away and approached his bed. '_I'm the last_,' he observed, hesitantly glancing around.

The Mediwitch waved her wand at him, mumbling something, which he couldn't understand, before an immensely long parchment emerged from the tip of her wand. Pomfrey threw a look at the parchment and frowned, waving the professor over.

"May I leave?" Harry asked anxiously, causing the Mediwitch to throw him a surprised look.

"Wait a moment, dear," she replied absentmindedly, turning to Professor Snape. "He is in a horrible condition," she said in a small voice. "Several bones that must have been broken at some stage grew together improperly. He has bruises and welts all over his body, but what's even much worse is that his lungs are in a poor condition, causing him to have asthma. He is also severely malnourished. I've never seen a child in such a bad condition before. I can only guess, but it looks to me as if he wasn't only abused but also completely neglected."

"Did your relatives ever take you to a doctor or a Healer?" Snape asked softly.

"No," Harry replied in a hardly audible voice, lightly shaking his head. "Everything always went away after a few days, and they didn't want to take a freak like me to a doctor or even give me medicine." He stopped, horrified when he realized what he just told the Healer and his Head of House. "Err... no... I mean..."

"It's all right, dear," Madam Pomfrey said gently. "The more you tell us, the better we'll be able to help you, especially as I'm afraid that we'll see a lot of each other. Do you often get sick with colds and other illnesses?"

"Once I had pneumonia and had to miss school for a whole month, and since then I catch colds every other week," Harry admitted quietly.

"Severus, I'm glad that he's in your House," Pomfrey sighed, before she explained to Harry, "Professor Snape is the teacher here, who has the most of experience with abused or neglected children. He'll be the best to help you. I suggest that you remain here overnight, so that I can already heal your bruises while you're asleep. We'll have to break a few of your bones and let them grow together properly, which we will do slowly in the near future. However, I suppose that your left wrist is bothering you?"

"A bit," Harry whispered, while the memory of Uncle Vernon shoving him into his cupboard appeared in front of his mind.

"Then we're going to remedy that tonight too," Pomfrey said gently.

Harry threw Severus an anxious glance, sighing when the teacher gave him a comforting nod.

"I believe that would be the best, Potter. I'll come and get you right in time for breakfast tomorrow morning."

The professor bode them Good Night and strode out of the hospital wing, his black robes billowing behind him.

Madam Pomfrey quickly waved her wand at Harry, and to his amazement his robes were replaced with soft pyjamas.

"Thank you, Madame," he said gratefully.

"You're welcome, Harry. Sleep well," the kind lady replied, while she unobtrusively spelled a sleeping draught into the child's stomach, knowing that the next few hours wouldn't be pleasant for the boy if he was awake.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Harry took a shower in the morning, he noticed amazed that all of his bruises and welts were gone and that his left wrist was completely back to normal. He thanked the Mediwitch profusely and was told that he was expected to drink a nutrient potion twice a day that would automatically appear next to his plate at breakfast and dinner.

Shortly later, Professor Snape came and escorted him to the Great Hall, where his dorm mates were already assembled and worriedly asked if he was all right.

"Professor Snape came in the evening and told us that you had to remain in the hospital wing, but he didn't tell us why," Hermione explained, giving him a piercing look.

"Oh, my left wrist that I broke before apparently healed improperly and Madam Pomfrey had to break and heal it," Harry replied quickly, feeling slightly annoyed by the attention. '_If they make such a fuss about one night in the hospital wing, how much of a fuss will they make if they see that I have to take a nutrient potion twice a day?_' he mused horrified and resolved to ask Madam Pomfrey or Professor Snape if there was another way to get his potion than at the breakfast or dinner table.

HP

Before the events of the previous evening, Severus had thought of a brilliant speech to give his first years, which was not so different from his normal speech, but it was followed by three difficult questions for their so-called '_new celebrity_.' However, after he had met the offspring of his greatest rival and heard and seen what he had endured while he grew up with his abusive relatives, Snape decided to skip the well thought questions and just give the first years an easy introduction about magical and non magical ingredients. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the smallest Gryffindor step over to his desk while all the others were leaving the classroom.

"What's wrong, Mr. Potter?" he asked as gently as possible, raising an eyebrow at the child.

"I was just wondering if there was any other way to get my nutrient potion instead of at breakfast and dinner," Harry said softly. "I don't want all the others to know..." He slowly trailed off. "Sorry, Professor, for bothering you with such unimportant matters," he added hesitantly.

"No Mr. Potter, I can understand you very well, and it's all right for you to come to me whenever you have questions. The problem is that you have to take the potion after eating something. Therefore, to take it at breakfast is inevitable I believe. The second potion you could take in your dormitory before you go to bed."

'_I wished I could offer him an alternative, but with his asthma it wouldn't do to let him climb up all the steps to my office after breakfast for the potion, if he had to hurry down all the way to his first class afterwards_,' Severus mused, before he gently told the boy, "Well, try to eat as much as you can over the next time, and perhaps in a few weeks' time it will suffice to take the potion once a day."

"All right, Professor, thanks a lot," Harry replied politely and left the classroom.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry liked all his classes really well except for Defence against the Dark Arts. However, the fact that he didn't overly like that class didn't have anything to do with the content but with the fact that his scar always hurt when he was in that classroom.

'_Something is strange with Professor Quirrell_,' Harry mused and resolved to speak to his Head of House about the matter. '_Snape said I could always come to him, so I'll just ask him. Maybe he can help me or at least has an explanation for me_.'

However, before Harry had the opportunity to speak with Professor Snape, something happened that made him forget the matter for the time being.

_tbc..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

* * *

Chapter ****2**

On a bright, warm September afternoon, the Gryffindor first years had their first flying lesson together with the Slytherins. Harry looked forward to the class with a mixture of expectation and anxiousness and was utmost relieved when at least the school broom instantly obeyed to his words and came into his hand.

Unfortunately, before they could even take into the air, Neville, whom Harry liked a lot, had an accident and had to be taken to the hospital wing. '_Poor Neville_,' Harry mused, who so far had been the only Gryffindor first year that had experienced a stay in Madam Pomfrey's clutches. However, he was quickly pulled out of his thoughts when Draco Malfoy grabbed Neville's Remembrall, taking it into the air.

"Here, come and get it back, Potter," the boy told him, provoking Harry enough to mount the broom, which he held in his hands, and begin to fly in spite of Madam Hooch's order to stay on the ground.

A few minutes later, Harry was back, proudly showing his classmates the Remembrall, which he had caught out of the air. However, the smile disappeared from his face when the Ravenclaw Head of House strode towards the group, sternly calling his name.

'_Oh no, please don't let me get expelled_,' Harry thought horrified when he followed the teacher back into the castle. However, to his great surprise, Professor McGonagall led him to the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, suggesting to Oliver to appoint him as Seeker.

"But Professor, you aren't even our Head of House this year. Won't you mind Gryffindor having a good Seeker?" Oliver asked astonished, looking curiously at Harry.

"I'm a Gryffindor through and through, Mr. Wood," the elder woman replied firmly. "There is of course the possibility that Professor Snape won't allow it, considering that Mr. Potter is only a first year. I'll speak with Professors Snape and Dumbledore after the last afternoon class."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Professor McGonagall kept her word and spoke with her two colleagues as soon as possible.

"You found a Seeker for my House, Minerva?" Snape asked incredulously. "And who might that be?"

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall beamed. "I saw him catch Mr. Longbottom's Remembrall out of the air on his first ride on a broom. He is a natural flyer and Seeker."

Snape sighed, seeing that the Headmaster was watching Minerva and him with clear amusement. "First of all, Potter is a first year. I have no problem breaking the first year rule of course, if the two of you don't mind. However, I'm not sure if Potter will be allowed to play Quidditch at all," he replied thoughtfully.

"Who would forbid him to play?" McGonagall asked in surprise.

"He has asthma," Severus told her in a soft voice, "and his overall condition is anything but good. I have to ask Poppy, and if she agrees, he may play."

"Asthma?" McGonagall repeated unbelievingly.

"Oh sorry, Minerva, I only told the Headmaster about Poppy's findings and forgot that you might be interested," Snape apologized. "Poppy found out that Potter was abused and neglected by his relatives."

"Albus!" McGonagall blurted out, horrified. "Yes Severus, I am interested, because Lily was always like a daughter to me and Harry like a grandchild. And I would have loved to take the boy in when his parents died!" she ranted, throwing the Headmaster a murderous glare. "Believe me, Albus, this is not the last conversation we had about the matter."

"Yes my dear," the Headmaster sighed, popping a lemon drop into his mouth.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

After dinner, Professor Snape called Harry and Oliver into his office and had a stern conversation with Harry, explaining to him that the air would get thinner as higher as he flew and that it was possible that he would get breathing problems while flying. "Only under the condition that you come down immediately if you notice that you're beginning to have breathing problems, even if it is in the midst of a Quidditch match, you may play. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied eagerly, and Oliver was allowed to take him out on the grounds for a first introduction into Quidditch.

"That's brilliant," the whole Quidditch team cheered when Oliver and Harry returned to the common room later on, and a longer discussion developed about having Professor Snape as a Head of House being not too bad.

"Though it was McGonagall, who suggested him to me in spite of not being our Head of House anymore," Oliver threw in.

"Why do you think Dumbledore decided to change the Heads of House?" one of the Weasley twins asked, causing a heated discussion about the matter, which ended with the final result, "He's probably going nuts."

"Harry, your father was a Chaser, and he once won the Quidditch cup for Gryffindor. Did you know that?" Hermione asked Harry, who was sitting between her and Ron on a comfortable sofa.

"I had no idea," Harry admitted, feeling completely amazed. '_That's so cool. My father would probably be proud of me_,' he mused, when the girl continued to speak.

"I'll show you something tomorrow," she promised, smiling.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

After dinner the next day, Hermione led Ron and Harry into the Trophy room, showing them a trophy that held the name 'James Potter'.

"My father," Harry whispered in amazement, unable to explain to his friends that it was the first time he had seen his father's name written somewhere.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione enquired all of a sudden, noticing that Harry seemed to have trouble breathing.

"I'm fine. I just have to get out of here; it's too dusty here," Harry replied quickly, although a small voice at the back of his mind told him, '_You're not fine. Since the morning you've already known that you caught a cold_.'

They hurriedly left the room, and Hermione gave the boy a sharp look, noticing that his eyes were glazed over and sweat was covering his face, although it was far from hot in the corridor. Before Harry even knew what happened, she gently put a cold hand on his forehead that felt quite warm to the touch.

"Harry, we're going to take you to the hospital wing," she said in determination, and Harry, who was coughing and breathing heavily, felt bad enough to grudgingly agree.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

After a glance at Harry, Madam Pomfrey returned to her office and came back with an asthma spray in form of a small stuffed dragon. She gently showed Harry that he had to push one of the dragon's feet, so that it worked magically.

"That's brilliant," Harry replied, feeling the effects immediately.

"I've seen a Muggle asthma spray before, and compared to that this one is absolutely amazing," Hermione agreed.

"Please keep the dragon with you at all times," Pomfrey instructed Harry and motioned him to lie down on a bed, so that she could check on him. "Quite a cold you have, Mr. Potter," she diagnosed and fetched a small goblet with Pepper-up potion for him.

"That's much better," Harry said in relief, feeling the potion take effect immediately. "Thanks a lot, Madam Pomfrey."

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter," the Mediwitch replied, pointing her wand at Harry's head to take his temperature once again. "Nevertheless, I'm going to keep you here overnight," she decided, ignoring Harry's groan. "You may come and fetch him in time for breakfast, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley."

Harry's two friends obediently bade him good night and left the hospital wing, leaving a very sleepy Harry behind.

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"Be glad that she kept you there last night," Ron told Harry on their way down to the Great Hall the next morning. "On our way back to Gryffindor, we got lost."

Harry let out a small snort. "Yeah, I should always stay in the hospital wing; that's definitely better than to get lost."

"Harry!" Hermione said sternly. "Believe me, yesterday it was. We found ourselves face to face with a three headed dog, who was licking his lips in anticipation."

After his friends had told him everything about their adventure, Harry had to agree that it had been a good timing to catch a cold.

Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey noticed soon that Harry hadn't exaggerated when he told them that he got sick once in a fortnight. Unfortunately, every second time it was worse than a cold, so that he had to stay in the hospital wing for a few days. The Mediwitch always kept Harry long enough to be sure that he was completely well, because she feared that he might get pneumonia due to the damage on his lungs if she let him go too early. Hermione visited Harry every day after classes, helping him to catch up with his studies whenever Pomfrey allowed him to study, and over the time the two first years became very close friends.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

One day, on which Harry's head began to hurt badly during the class with Professor Quirrell, he remembered that he wanted to speak with Professor Snape about the headaches he got in Quirrell's presence, and he hesitantly visited his Head of House in his office right after the last afternoon class.

"Where does it exactly hurt?" the professor enquired alarmed. "Is it your scar, Potter?"

"I'm not sure, but I think so. It's not always that bad. Sometimes, it's only a little sting, but at other times it really hurts a lot and it causes my whole head to become sore for the rest of the day," Harry replied carefully, causing the teacher to groan inwardly.

"I noticed that Professor Quirrell behaves slightly out of character this school year, and I already have a suspect what might be wrong," Snape said thoughtfully. "Potter, the next time it gets really bad, tell him that you need to go to the hospital wing and instead come to my classroom to fetch me, or better tell Ms. Granger to call me and wait for me."

"All right," Harry replied, feeling very much consoled by the teacher's promise to help him. However, the next weeks passed quietly. Harry enjoyed his classes very much and always studied together with Hermione in the afternoons and evenings. Ron often joined them for their homework, but he didn't like to work as much as Hermione and Harry did.

"I'm glad that you like to study just like me," Hermione told Harry one evening, "unlike the others, who ridicule me all the time they see me looking into a book."

'_Well, I never owned a book of my own before, so it's only natural that I love to read everything I get in my fingers_,' Harry mused, smiling at his friend.

HP HALLOWEEN HP

A few days before Halloween, Harry's scar began to bother him again, but it never became bad enough to call Professor Snape. One morning, however, Harry woke up early, finding that he could hardly breathe. He quickly used the spray, which he always held close, but noticed that it only helped so much. '_Should I go to Madam Pomfrey?_' he mused but dismissed the thought, remembering that so far everything had gone away by itself. '_She'd surely keep me there, and I don't want to miss classes_,' he thought while he slowly dragged himself to the Defence classroom.

Unfortunately, an hour in the presence of Professor Quirrell didn't help improve his condition, and by the time Harry quietly followed his friends up to the Transfiguration classroom he had a splitting headache, which didn't go unnoticed by his friends and the teacher. "Mr. Potter, please stay for a moment," McGonagall told him when she dismissed the class. Noticing that Hermione was throwing him a concerned look she allowed the girl to accompany them into her office. "Mr. Potter, are you feeling all right?" she asked softly, looking closely into his flushed face.

"Yes, I'm fine," Harry replied, groaning inwardly at the attention. "It's just that I always get a headache in Professor Quirrell's presence, and we just had Defence before Transfiguration."

"I don't think so, Harry. You already looked ill before our Defence class," Hermione threw in and quickly felt his forehead, before Harry could protest. "You're warm."

Professor McGonagall frowned and fetched an old Muggle thermometer from her drawer, which she handed Harry. "Please take your temperature under your armpit and in the meantime tell us what the matter with Professor Quirrell and headaches is."

Harry sighed but grudgingly obeyed. "My head, or maybe it's my scar, always hurts when I'm in his company for a longer time. I don't know why. I already spoke to Professor Snape about it, and he told me to call him if it was really bad, but so far it wasn't," he explained, noticing that his voice slowly began to fade.

"You have quite a fever, Mr. Potter," the professor stated, looking at the thermometer that Harry had handed back without even glancing at it. "Ms. Granger, could you please escort Mr. Potter to the hospital wing? No," she corrected herself immediately. "I want to speak with Madam Pomfrey myself."

"You caught pneumonia, Mr. Potter. This time you're in for at least a week of absolute bed rest," Madam Pomfrey told him, but Harry felt so awful that he couldn't care less.

The Mediwitch insisted that Harry wasn't allowed to have visitors; nevertheless, she let Professors Snape and McGonagall as well as Hermione keep him company under the condition that they didn't speak about classes and allowed Harry to rest. Hermione spent all her free time sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, doing her homework when he was asleep and talking to him when he was awake. One day, she stormed into the hospital wing, burying her head in Harry's bed covers, sobbing vehemently.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry enquired hoarsely, gently stroking the girl's cool cheeks, causing the girl to cry even more.

Madam Pomfrey, who was always watching her patients like a hawk, strode over to Harry's bed and gently led the girl to the next bed, motioning for her to sit down. "Now, you'll calm down and quietly tell me what's wrong. I can give you a calming draught if necessary. Harry is still very ill with a high fever and you may not upset him," she said in a gentle but firm voice, causing Hermione to give her a weary nod.

All of a sudden, the doors to the hospital wing were flung open with a 'bang'.

_tbc..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**

Professor Snape strode into the hospital wing. "One of the Slytherin second year girls told me that she saw you run in here crying hysterically," he stated, raising an eyebrow at the girl, who had calmed down due to the calming draught the Mediwitch had secretly spelled into her stomach. "What's wrong, Ms. Granger?"

"Tell us, Hermione," Harry croaked.

"I'm sorry Professor, Madam Pomfrey. It's all right. I will tell Harry in private," Hermione told the adults, blushing at the thought of how her behaviour must have looked to them. After eating lunch together with Harry, whom she had to coax into eating a few spoons full of his chicken broth, she told Harry how Ron had insulted her after their Charms class. "They always ridicule me and call me a 'Know-it-all'," she complained, and Harry already feared that she would burst into tears again.

"Just ignore them, Hermione," Harry advised her hoarsely. "You know, not everyone likes books as much as we do; but wait a few weeks, and then they'll come and ask you, because they have problems with their Potions homework or something. Especially Ron often says things, which he doesn't mean."

Before Hermione could reply, Madam Pomfrey returned and informed her that she had to run to be in time for her afternoon classes, before she spelled Harry's potions into his stomach, causing him to drift off to sleep instantly.

After her last afternoon class, Hermione came back and spent the hours until curfew with her friend, not caring about the fact that she was missing the Halloween party that took place in the Great Hall.

HP

When Professor Snape came to visit Harry after curfew like he did every evening, he told the child about a mountain troll that he and McGonagall had chased out of the castle in the evening.

"How could a troll come into the castle?" Harry whispered in surprise. "Did someone let him in? And why did you and Professor McGonagall have to chase him away? I thought fighting a troll would be the task of the Defence teacher."

'_He is too clever for his own good_,' the teacher mused and replied softly, "Normally yes, but as you already know, something about Professor Quirrell is not right. Unfortunately, as long as we can't prove it, the Headmaster is not willing to believe us."

'_I know Albus said I shouldn't tell anyone about my suspicion, but perhaps I should tell Potter the truth. With his help I might be able to do something about it_,' he pondered and decided to speak with Harry as soon as he was released from the hospital wing.

"I suspect that Professor Quirrell is possessed by the Dark Lord's spirit," he told the boy a week later.

"The Dark Lord?" Harry enquired, uncertain what the teacher was talking about. "Is that a different name for Voldemort?" he asked hesitantly.

"The one, who was responsible for the demise of your parents," Snape replied, nodding. "I'm fairly sure that you didn't kill him at that time but that his spirit is still out there and that he's trying to get back a body. At the moment, I suspect that he is possessing Professor Quirrell, which is why your scar often hurts, if you're near Professor Quirrell. If I could catch him when he was possessed, I might be able to kill the Dark Lord's spirit. But for that I need you to inform me when he is possessed, because I can't take the risk of killing Professor Quirrell. I have to be sure that the Dark Lord is there. Otherwise I might find myself in Azkaban. The wizarding prison," he added, seeing Harry's confused look.

"All right. I'll make sure to inform you the next time my scar hurts so badly," Harry promised.

"Very well. Mr. Potter, since this is my personal suspicion, you must not talk to anyone about the matter, not even to Ms. Granger or the Headmaster. Did I make myself clear?" he asked sternly.

"Yes sir," Harry replied wearily.

HP QUIDDITCH HP

Knowing that the Quidditch match Gryffindor versus Slytherin would take place soon, Professor Snape spoke with the Headmaster and his Deputy about a broom for Harry.

"All the players have their own brooms. I'd like to see Potter having one too," he said casually, causing his colleagues to agree immediately."

"Well, he surely has enough money to buy one, but he won't know how to do that, and he won't be able to have his own broom since he is a first year," Dumbledore said pensively. "However, if the three of us bought the broom for him and told him that it had to remain in Severus' office as long as he is a first year, there shouldn't be a problem."

The three teachers agreed on the plan, and a few days later, Hedwig brought Harry a brand new Nimbus 2000 with a small parchment attached to it that said the broom had to be stored in his Head of House's office, where Harry would be able to retrieve it for Quidditch practice and matches.

Harry was over the moon with joy. After an instant Quidditch practice arranged by team captain Oliver Wood, Harry happily returned the broom to Professor Snape's office.

"Professor, might I enquire who would give me such a present?" he asked hesitantly, feeling totally amazed by the thought that someone had bought such an enormous present for him. Seeing that the teacher raised an eyebrow, he explained, "It was my second present ever. The first present was Hedwig, and I received her from Hagrid for my eleventh birthday."

The professor groaned inwardly as the last bit of the boy's resemblance to James Potter diminished to the absolute minimum of his outer appearance. '_He is like Lily but with experiences like mine or even worse than my own_,' he mused. "Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and I decided to buy the broom for you together. However, I'd like you to keep this information for yourself."

"Of course, Professor, thanks a lot, sir," Harry replied gratefully, before he headed back to the common room with a huge smile on his face.

Just like that promise, Harry kept his promise towards Professor Snape about his suspicion concerning Quirrell. However, one day he told Hermione that he was afraid that Quirrell wanted to harm him and that Professor Snape had promised to help Harry. He purposefully chose a moment when he was alone with Hermione, because Ron had such an aversion against their Head of House that Harry was sure he wouldn't even bother to listen, if he said something positive about the man.

During the Quidditch match Gryffindor versus Slytherin that took place at the end of November, Harry's two friends watched in horror as someone jinxed Harry's broom. Panicking, Hermione turned her head to search the teachers' seats for the caster of the jinx.

"There! It's Snape!" Ron blurted out.

"Snape? No, definitely not. Where's Quirrell?" Hermione asked, feverishly looking around. "Look! He's mumbling too. I'll be right back." She hurried to the teachers' stands, knelt down right next to Quirrell and pointed her wand at his robe. "Lacarnum Inflamarae," she whispered, causing the teacher's robes to catch fire, before she hurried back to the Gryffindor stands. "It was Quirrell. Snape was casting a counter spell," she informed her friend and sat down in relief, seeing that Harry's broom was back to normal.

"See, I told you that Severus wouldn't do such a thing," Hagrid, who sat next to the friends, told Ron, who still didn't seem to be convinced.

A few minutes later, Harry managed to catch the Snitch, causing Gryffindor to win the match. He handed Madam Hooch the golden ball that was still struggling to get away. Within seconds, the Gryffindor stands erupted in applause.

"Potter, are you all right?" Professor Snape asked in a soft, baritone voice, giving the boy a concerned look.

"Yes, Professor; what happened?" Harry asked confused. "My broom was acting strangely."

"Quirrell jinxed your broom," the teacher whispered to him, "but fortunately, I was able to speak the counter spell. Now we definitely know that he wants to harm you, Potter. You have to be careful. Try not to be alone with him at any time."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry was always together with his friends anyway. The only time when he was on his own was when he had to spend a few nights in the hospital wing with bronchitis a week after the Quidditch game. At that time, Professor Snape knew that he had to discuss the matter with Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey.

"Wouldn't it be better to pull Harry out of Quirinus' class?" McGonagall asked flabbergasted after hearing the story.

"No Minerva, I need the boy to tell me when Quirrell is possessed since it doesn't seem to be all the time. Harry will know because only then he gets an immense pain in his scar," Severus replied softly. "A coward as he is, he probably won't do anything to Harry in front of others."

"So Harry knows about your suspicion?" Dumbledore asked sternly.

"Yes, fortunately I told him. I forbade him to talk about it to his friends though, but he told me that he warned Ms. Granger that Quirrell might try to hurt him. A few days ago, I found out in a conversation with him that it was Ms. Granger, who set Quirrell's robes on fire when he tried to curse Harry during the Quidditch match."

"Thank Merlin that he has such an intelligent friend," Minerva sighed, giving Dumbledore a questioning look.

"And how exactly are you planning to get rid of the spirit?" the Headmaster enquired gently.

Severus sighed. "First of all, I need the spirit to take over, and then I'll use a spell, which I invented many years ago. Cast on a ghost or spirit, it should kill the spirit."

After a longer discussion, they decided to let Harry stay in a small teacher's room behind Madam Pomfrey's office, on which the four colleagues together put a strong charm, which would keep Quirrell out.

HP WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN HP

Only a few days before the beginning of the Christmas holidays, just when the Gryffindor first years were taking a Defence against the Dark Arts test, Harry's scar exploded in pain as soon as the teacher began to walk around the classroom. Harry quickly whispered something to Hermione, who stood up and told the teacher that Harry was sick and she had to take him to the hospital wing. Since all the teachers knew that Harry often fell ill, the professor let them go immediately.

"Take c...care, P...Pot..ter," he stuttered without looking at Harry.

Hermione quickly grabbed their bags and hurriedly left the room behind Harry. "Are you all right, Harry?" she asked in concern.

"Yes, can you run and get Snape, please?" Harry replied urgently, before he sat down on the floor, leaning his achy head against the cool stone wall. '_I just hope whatever Snape is planning to do will work_,' he mused while he was waiting in the cold corridor.

Hermione fetched the teacher right out of his sixth years' test. While Severus began to dart out of the classroom, he instructed the students to call the Headmaster and tell him that he should take over his class.

While Professor Dumbledore stepped through the Floo into the Potions classroom, the Potions Master stormed into the Defence classroom after telling Harry to remain where he was. He quickly dismissed the students with the traditional sneer on his face. "You'll take your test at another time. Please leave immediately."

While the students left the Defence classroom, Professor Quirrell gave Snape a confused look and began to protest. "B...b...but S...S...Severus..."

Severus ignored the man's stuttering completely and waved his wand at him, causing the man's voice to change.

"Ah, Severus, my faithful servant, I'm so glad you came to my rescue," a raspy voice hissed without stuttering, causing the Potions Master to slightly bow his head.

"What is it that you are searching for at Hogwarts, Master?" he asked silkily.

"Ah Severus," the voice hissed. "You'll better be able to help me than that fool here. I need the stone, and I need the Potter boy."

Hermione, who was watching the teachers' interaction from the classroom door, groaned in exasperation. "Oh no! Ron was right about Professor Snape," she told Harry, who was still sitting on the floor.

_tbc..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

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**

**Chapter 4**

"No Mione, I'm sure that Snape is on our side and that he knows what he does," Harry mumbled calmingly. '_I'm not sure why I know that, but I just know_,' he mused, holding his aching head.

Inside the classroom, Snape waved his wand in a complicated movement, casting a silent curse at the spirit within the possessed man, who let out a horrible cry, before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious. The professor hurried out to where Harry was still sitting, gripping his head since an enormous amount of pain hit him through his scar when the evil spirit was killed. Snape crouched down onto the floor in front of him. "I believe that he's gone. Are you all right, Potter?"

Harry gave him a weary look. "Yes, I'm fine, Professor. Thanks."

"No, he obviously is not all right, but excuse me, sir, what was that all about?" Hermione enquired, throwing the teacher a confused look.

"I'll explain later; we have to get Quirrell to the hospital wing first," Snape replied, hurrying back into the classroom, where he put his colleague onto a stretcher and hovered him to the hospital wing, motioning for Harry and Hermione to follow him.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand at Professor Quirrell several times, before she threw Snape a questioning glance.

"Quirrell was possessed by the Dark Lord. His spirit used the back of his head as a housing from time to time, and when Potter alerted me to the fact that he was inside Quirrell's head today, I used the Mens Alterno spell to bring the Dark Lord's mind into the foreground and the Sectumsempra spell to kill his spirit. The spells shouldn't have done any harm to Quirrell," the Potions Master explained gently.

Pomfrey sighed. "Well, apparently the possession has, and I'm afraid we'll have to send him to St. Mungo's." She threw a glance at her wrist watch. "I have to call Albus and Minerva to inform them about this."

"Poppy, I'll call them. Could you please have a look at Potter in the meantime?" Snape contradicted quickly. "His scar hurt because the Dark Lord's spirit was nearby, and he doesn't seem to be well yet. Perhaps he even felt it when I got rid of his spirit." He pointed over to two chairs, where Hermione and Harry were waiting.

"I'm fine," Harry protested weakly when the Mediwitch made him lie down on a bed but gratefully gulped down the headache potion Madam Pomfrey handed him, sighing in relief when he felt the effects of the potion.

"I'll take Quirrell to St. Mungo's," the Headmaster offered, "and then we urgently have to search for a Defence Professor. We can only hope that Voldemort is really gone now and that the charm on the Defence position is broken."

"I still suggest Remus Lupin like I already told you last year and the year before," McGonagall replied, sighing at the Headmaster's stubbornness. "If he was safe enough to be here as a student, he'll be safe enough as a responsible adult."

Dumbledore turned to his Potions Master. "Severus, would you be willing to brew the Wolfsbane potion every month?"

"Of course, Headmaster, if it's inevitable," Snape replied, smirking as he saw Hermione listening intensely to the conversation, while Harry had drifted off to sleep due to the effects of the potion.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

The remaining days of the test week passed uneventfully, and it was soon time for the students to return home for Christmas. Originally, the Weasleys had planned to visit their son Charlie and leave Ron and the twins at Hogwarts, but Ron was so full of hate for Professor Snape that he had thrown a temper tantrum, telling his mother that he'd never stay in Gryffindor with only Harry, the twins and Snape around, so that Molly finally agreed to remain at home over Christmas and visit Charlie later. Therefore, Harry was the only Gryffindor student remaining in the castle over the holidays.

'_Well, still better than to spend the holidays with the Dursleys_,' Harry mused when he returned to the common room after seeing the others off at the station in Hogsmeade, grateful that Professor Snape had invited him to join him in the morning, when his friends had boarded the carriages that brought them to the Hogwarts Express. Deciding to use the quiet time to review all his school books and read ahead as far as he could, he made himself comfortable on the sofa in front of the fireplace reading his Transfiguration book, his wand ready to try out the spells he stumbled about. Soon, he was so engrossed in his studying that he didn't notice how the time passed and looked up startled when all of a sudden the portrait hole opened and his Head of House entered the room.

"Mr. Potter, you are not to miss any meals," the professor sneered. "Five points from Gryffindor for missing lunch. See to it that it doesn't happen again and accompany me to the Great Hall for dinner."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor; I completely lost track of time," Harry stammered, giving his Transfiguration book a regretting glance. '_Oh well, I can read the last five pages after dinner then_,' Harry consoled himself and stood up. '_I wonder why he always tries to appear meaner than he really is_,' Harry mused, following the teacher, who was striding ahead with billowing robes.

To his great chagrin, he had managed to attract a lot of attention by missing lunch, and Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall made a fuss about him, instructing him not to miss any meals.

"Yes, I know, Professor Snape already told me so and took points off Gryffindor," Harry replied, feeling slightly annoyed by the attention.

"Harry, you can still return to the Dursleys, if you prefer to spend Christmas at home. It must be very lonely all on your own in the tower," Dumbledore said gently, causing Harry to nearly choke on his pumpkin juice.

"No thank you, Professor," he replied hurriedly, "I'm extremely grateful that I'm allowed to remain at Hogwarts."

Eager to change the topic, he turned to Professor McGonagall. "Professor, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Harry," the teacher replied gently, giving him an encouraging look.

"I tried out several spells from our Transfiguration book, but I couldn't get the Pannus Culcitulam spell right. It just doesn't work. Could you perhaps show me sometime how to do it properly, please?"

"You wanted to transfigure a tissue into a small pillow?" McGonagall asked in surprise, knowing that it was the last spell in the first year's book.

"Yes, Professor."

"Accompany me to my office after dinner, and I'll show you how it works. The wand movement is a bit complicated, and a lot of first years don't manage to accomplish the transfiguration. The spell will show up again in your second year's book," the teacher replied, giving the boy a fond look.

"Mr. Potter, I wonder why the Sorting Hat didn't put you into Ravenclaw," Professor Flitwick mused aloud.

"In fact it wanted to sort me into Slytherin," Harry admitted in a small voice, "but I managed to talk it out of it, knowing that the one, who killed my parents, was a Slytherin." Noticing that everyone watched him thoughtfully, he blushed deeply. '_I have to be more careful what I say in front of the teachers_,' he mused, putting down his fork.

"Unfortunately, the one, who betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord, was a Gryffindor," Snape sneered, causing Harry to throw him a horrified look.

"Now now, Severus," the Headmaster admonished him lightly. "Next week, Harry, our new Defence teacher, Professor Lupin, will arrive. He was a good friend of your parents, and I'm sure he'll be thrilled to tell you everything about them."

"Really?" Harry replied excitedly. '_That'll be so great. Then I'll finally get to know how my parents were. Maybe he can even show me a photo_.'

After dinner, Harry accompanied Professor McGonagall to her office. It took him twenty minutes of practice, before he finally managed to transfigure his tissue into a small pillow.

"Well done, Harry, five points to Gryffindor," McGonagall said and conjured tea and biscuits for them. "Harry," she spoke up in a soft voice, motioning for the boy to help himself. "If you don't want to return to your relatives over the summer holidays, you have to speak to someone about them. Many wizards and witches would have taken you in when your parents died, but the Headmaster insisted that you had to stay with your relatives. The only way that someone else would be allowed to gain the guardianship over you would be if you told someone about your life at the Dursleys. I, for example, would love to take you in. Your mother was like a daughter to me and you like a grandson when you were a baby."

Harry threw the teacher a surprised look, but couldn't help a flash of hope shine in his eyes. "But... there's nothing to tell, Professor," he replied softly. "They raised me, that's all."

"Harry," Minerva sighed and continued in a soft voice, "Professor Snape knows about my relationship to your mother, and he told me how the Dursleys treated you. However, he only knows about it because of Madam Pomfrey's findings. In order for the Headmaster to agree for any of us to take you in, you have to tell someone about it. It doesn't have to be me. I know for a fact that for example Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout, Professor Snape or even Professor Lupin would be glad to listen and help you find a more suitable guardian. Please choose someone to confide in and talk. Perhaps you can use these holidays to consider the matter."

"I'll think about it, Professor," Harry replied thoughtfully.

It was nearly curfew when he returned to the common room, although Harry wasn't exactly sure if curfew also applied during the holidays. He took his place in front of the fireplace once more, deciding to finish the last five pages of the Transfiguration book before heading to bed. However, as soon as he had begun to read, the portrait hole opened and Professor Snape stepped into the room.

"Good evening, Professor," Harry greeted him and couldn't help a yawn escape his mouth, before he could close it.

"I believe that it's time to go to bed, Mr. Potter," Snape replied, smirking. "I just wanted to make sure that everything is all right."

'_Did he just come here only for me?_' Harry mused in amazement, before he replied, "Thank you, sir. Good night."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

"Professor, may I have my broom and go flying for a while?" Harry asked his Head of House at breakfast the next morning.

"Oh yes, I saw an image of you being blown into the Forbidden Forest in the snow storm," a strange woman, whom Harry saw for the first time, spoke up in a dreamy voice.

McGonagall let out a snort, causing Harry to give her a questioning look. "Professor Trelawney, our Divinations teacher," she explained, smirking.

Somehow, Harry got the impression as if Professor McGonagall wasn't too fond of the Divinations teacher and didn't believe every world the lady said.

"Just in case you prefer the Potions classroom to the Quidditch pitch in a snow storm, you're welcome to help me brew potions for the hospital wing, Mr. Potter," Snape threw in with his traditional sneer on his face.

_tbc..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

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**

**Chapter 5**

"Would it be possible to do both, I mean go flying and brew potions with you, Professor?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yes Mr. Potter; however, I suggest that you go flying first, because I also heard from other sources that we could get a snow storm later today," Snape replied sternly.

"Thank you so much, Professor," Harry cheered and ran after the man up to his office to get his broom.

"It's cold outside, Mr. Potter," the man warned him, giving his clothing a disapproving look when he handed him the broom and to Harry's absolute delight a Snitch.

"Yes sir, I'll put some more layers on," Harry promised and headed to his dormitory.

It was indeed cold outside and the air was extremely dry. All of a sudden, Harry noticed that he could hardly breathe anymore. Slightly panicking, he pulled his stuffed dragon out of his robe pockets and was just about to push the dragon's foot when he noticed terrified that he lost the grip on his broom and was beginning to tumble downwards, just as the first snowflakes hit the ground. Quickly tucking the dragon under his arm, he put both arms back on the broom and finally managed to land safely on the ground, even if he was panting and gasping for air.

Sitting down on the spot, he used his spray, sighing in relief when he felt the effects and it became easier to breathe. However, when he tried to stand up from the cold ground, he noticed that his knees were trembling from the shock of tumbling down, and he remained where he was, watching the snowflakes play in the air as he tried to calm down.

Only when he got the impression as if his limbs were going to freeze in the cold snow, he cast the summoning spell at the Snitch, which Professor Snape had taught him a few weeks ago, and slowly made his way back into the castle, deep in thoughts about the strange Divination professor, whom he had met for the first time at breakfast that morning.

"How dare you bring snow and mud into the entrance hall?" a loud, angry voice, laced with malice, shook him out of his reverie.

'_Oh no! Filch_!' Harry groaned inwardly, when the caretaker handed him a mop and ordered him to clean the floor.

Quickly sliding his dragon, which he had unconsciously cuddled the whole time, back into his robe pockets, Harry hurriedly cleaned the floor, before he dragged himself back into the common room, eager to get out of his cold, wet clothes.

'_Maybe I should take a hot shower in order to not catch a cold_,' he mused, but a glance on his watch told him that lunch was going to begin in five minutes. Letting out a deep sigh, Harry quickly put some clean clothes on and ran all the way down to the Great Hall.

"Excuse me," he apologized, seeing that he was the last to arrive.

"I hope you enjoyed your flight?" the Headmaster greeted him joyfully, and Harry noticed that his eyes were twinkling pleasantly.

"Yes, it was great, sir," Harry replied politely and turned to his Head of House. "Professor, I'm sorry; I'll bring the broom and the Snitch back right after lunch. I somehow lost track of time again."

"You may keep them in your dormitory over the holidays," Snape replied, smirking. "Now, are you still willing to help me brew potions for Madam Pomfrey?"

"Of course," Harry replied, groaning inwardly because he still felt cold and the icy air of the dungeons didn't seem as inviting as his spot in front of the fireplace in the common room.

"Don't forget that Harry is not in detention, Severus," Professor McGonagall threw in, giving her younger colleague a stern look that caused Harry to chuckle. '_In front of Professor McGonagall Snape looks like a school boy, who is being scolded because of doing mischief_,' he mused.

Snape merely raised an eyebrow at Minerva, before he turned his gaze to throw Harry a piercing look. "Shall we go, Mr. Potter?"

To Harry's surprise and relief, Snape didn't lead him to the dungeons but to his private lab, which was situated in the professor's personal quarters and thus not as cold as the Potions classroom. The teacher instructed him how to prepare the ingredients in order to brew Pepperup potion as well as a basic healing potion, and Harry spent the afternoon diligently assisting the professor. Harry was just labelling the phials with the Pepperup potion when Snape glanced at his wrist watch, letting out a small gasp.

"We have to hurry up a bit I'm afraid," he told Harry. "Dinner is going to commence in twenty minutes."

Harry let out a long sigh, noticing that he didn't feel hungry in the least. "Professor, can't I skip dinner for once? I'm not hungry at all," he hesitantly asked the man, already knowing what the answer would be.

However, Snape gave him an assessing look, before he queried, "Are you feeling all right, Mr. Potter?"

"No, not really," Harry admitted in a small voice, telling his Head of House what had happened on the Quidditch pitch earlier.

Sighing, Snape motioned him to take a seat, before he waved his wand over the boy, casting several simple diagnostic spells. "You obviously caught a cold, Mr. Potter," he informed him, handing him one of the freshly bottled Pepperup potion phials. "Take the potion immediately and go to bed. I'll come and check on you again later on. Let's try to get this in grip before Christmas."

Harry gulped down the potion, feeling better at once. "Thank you, Professor," he said gratefully and retired to his dormitory, glad that he wasn't forced to attend dinner. He slept for a few hours, before he woke up in the middle of the night, noticing that the Pepperup potion had only helped so much.

'_Thank Merlin I'm not at the Dursleys_,' he mused, knowing that it was Christmas Eve. '_At the Dursleys I'd have to prepare all the Christmas meals for the Dursleys without even being allowed to eat_.'

In the morning, Snape came to check on the boy, noticing that his condition hadn't improved. "Mr. Potter, I'll give you another dose of Pepperup potion and a fever reducer, but you need to stay in bed today. You may either remain here or go to the hospital wing."

"I'd prefer to stay here," Harry replied quickly, obediently gulping down the potions, oblivious to the fact that the fever reducer was laced with a sleeping draught.

When Harry woke up the next time, Professor Snape was leaning over him, gently shaking his shoulder. A Potions journal lay discarded on a chair next to his bed.

"Pfessor," Harry gasped groggily, feeling completely shaken after his nightmare about his uncle chasing him by threatening him with his belt.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, for waking you up," the teacher apologized in his soft silky voice, taking a seat on the chair. "However, you were making yourself too upset in your nightmare. Would you care to explain what all the ruckus was about?"

Harry sighed, before he explained hoarsely, "My uncle was upset about something and chased me, threatening to give me the belt, and I didn't want that."

"Did he often give you 'the belt'?" Snape asked softly, glad that the boy seemed to feel comfortable enough in his presence to confide in him.

Harry sighed. "Sometimes. They always gave me so many chores that most of the time I wasn't able to do all of them before my uncle returned from work. Well, if I wasn't finished by the time he came home, he punished me," he admitted in a small voice.

"What did your relatives do when you were sick or hurt?" Snape enquired gently.

"They locked me into my cupboard. They only let me go to school and back into the cupboard, so I wouldn't get Dudley ill," Harry replied, coughing.

The professor continued questioning Harry for a short while, before he checked on him again and made him eat a bowl of chicken broth, followed by a potion for the fever he was still running.

"Try to rest as much as you can, and if you have problems, don't hesitate to come and knock at my office door," he instructed the boy, before he questioned him, "What do you think Father Christmas will bring you for Christmas?"

Harry threw the teacher a sad glance. "I never received anything from Father Christmas, because I'm not a good boy. The only presents I ever got were Hedwig, which Hagrid gave me for my eleventh birthday, and the broom, which I received from you and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall."

"Well, we'll see. You'll certainly receive presents from your friends. I'll let you sleep now, so that you'll hopefully be well enough to join everyone in the Great Hall for Christmas." With that, the teacher left the dormitory and hurried to speak with his colleagues.

"That we can easily check," the Headmaster said thoughtfully and called Twinkle, his personal house elf. "Twinkle, please find out if there are any presents for Harry," he ordered the elf, who disappeared with a bow only to return within seconds.

"There are six presents for Master Harry, Master Professor Dumbledore, sir," Twinkle informed the Headmaster.

"That's good," Dumbledore replied gently, "thank you, Twinkle." Turning back to his colleagues, he said pensively, "I thought to give Harry his father's invisibility cloak, but I'm not sure if he's old enough to use it wisely."

"No, definitely not, Albus!" Snape replied, groaning in exasperation. "Do you want him to step into his father's footsteps?"

"I don't think it would be wise either, Albus," McGonagall agreed with her younger colleague.

"All right, please don't kill me. It was just an idea," the Headmaster admitted, deciding to give the child a chocolate edition of wizard's chess.

"How is Harry?" McGonagall enquired in concern. "Will he be well enough to join us tomorrow?"

"His cold turned into bronchitis," Snape sighed, "but he should be able to come to the Great Hall at least for breakfast and to open his presents, especially considering that it is his first real Christmas." He put the memory of what Harry had told him about his life with the Dursleys into the Pensieve for Dumbledore, McGonagall and Pomfrey to watch.

"Is that enough evidence to convince you not to send the child back to the Dursleys, Albus?" McGonagall queried firmly, throwing the Headmaster a demanding glare.

"Yes, Minerva," Dumbledore sighed. "Severus, please ask him, whom he'd like to become his guardian, if you have the chance to speak with him again. Otherwise, I'm going to call him to my office tomorrow afternoon."

Unbeknownst to Harry, his Head of House came into his dormitory every four hours to check on him and spell a few potions straight into his system. However, when he woke up in the morning, he felt much better. He scrambled out of his bed and headed down to the common room, where he curled up in front of the fireplace, craving the warmth of the fire until his Head of House arrived to check on him and call him for breakfast.

By the time they reached the Great Hall, everyone else was already assembled and Snape motioned for Harry to sit down on the empty seat next to Professor McGonagall, while he took the seat at Harry's other side.

After eating a small breakfast, Harry anxiously followed a beaming Headmaster over to the huge Christmas tree, which was beautifully decorated. A huge amount of presents was piled under the tree, and seeing that Harry was the youngest of the few students remaining at the castle over Christmas, Dumbledore asked him to crawl under the tree and pull the presents out to hand them to the respective recipients.

Harry was completely stunned at the amount of presents, which he received from his friends and teachers. From Ron he got a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, from Hermione a small booklet, '_The Tales of Beedle the Bard_' and from Hagrid owl treats for Hedwig. The Headmaster gave him a wizard's chess set out of chocolate, in which the figures were made from chocolate and could be eaten up when they were beaten and destroyed, so they'd form themselves anew for the next new game. To his surprise, McGonagall gave him the book, '_Hogwarts: A History_,' Madam Pomfrey another book with the title, '_Easy Healing Spells_,' while he received a potions book from his Head of House, entitled, '_Useful Potions for Advanced Learners_.'

Harry thanked everyone profusely, before he admitted to Professor Snape, "I feel bad about it. I received presents from everyone, but I didn't give anything to anyone."

"You don't have to give presents to the teachers, Harry, and if you want to buy something for your friends, I can take you to Hogsmeade as soon as you're completely recovered," Snape offered gently, causing Harry to throw him a relieved smile.

"Thank you so much, Professor," Harry replied gratefully, proceeding to engross himself in reading his new books.

When everyone headed outside for a snowball fight after lunch, Harry returned to his dormitory for a nap, knowing that he couldn't afford spending time in the cold snow. It was nearly dinnertime when Snape came to wake him up, telling him that the Headmaster wanted to speak with him.

Harry wearily followed his Head of House to the Headmaster's office, politely declining the offered lemon drop.

"Harry, your teachers and I decided that the Dursleys are obviously inadequate guardians for you," Dumbledore began to speak, causing Harry to blush deeply, not wanting to speak about the matter in front of all the teachers, who were assembled. "While you're here at Hogwarts, as your Head of House Professor Snape is your guardian; however, you also need a private guardian, with whom you're going to stay at least over the two months of the summer holidays and who is responsible for your well-being apart from school. Each of the teachers assembled here including myself are willing to become your guardian; therefore, it's up to you to choose.

'_I'm allowed to choose my new guardian_,' Harry mused happily. '_That's the very best Christmas present!_' He slowly let his gaze wander over Professors Snape, Sprout, McGonagall, Flitwick, Dumbledore, and Madam Pomfrey, before he made his decision.

_tbc..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

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**

**Chapter 6**

"Since Professor Snape already is my guardian for ten months out of twelve, I'd like him to remain my guardian for the rest of the year as well," he finally spoke up, slowly turning his eyes to the Headmaster.

"I believe that's a very wise decision, Harry," Dumbledore replied, and Harry noticed that his eyes were twinkling merrily.

However, Professor McGonagall was wearing a slightly disappointed expression, and Harry added thoughtfully, "I'd like to have Professor McGonagall as my guardian too, but I can only have one guardian, can't I?"

His question was answered with laughter, and the Headmaster replied gently, "That's good to know, Harry, and in case Professor Snape is absent or otherwise incapacitated Professor McGonagall will surely be happy to act as your guardian." Dumbledore took a few parchments from the edge of his desk, handing them to Snape. "These are the guardianship papers, Severus. You merely have to fill in your data and sign them. I took the liberty to pay the Dursleys a visit this afternoon, and I already received their signatures."

"Very well, Albus. Should I add Minerva's name as well, just to be sure that the Ministry won't get their hands on Harry in case something happened to me?"

"Yes please, Severus," the Headmaster agreed, and Harry observed in amazement as the parchments automatically rolled up and vanished after Professors Snape and McGonagall had signed them.

"Twinkle!" Dumbledore called his personal house-elf. "Could you and a few others please add a room for Harry to Severus' quarters right away?"

"Of course, Master Professor Dumbledore, sir, Twinkle wills sees to it immediately," the elf replied, bowing deeply, and popped away.

'_These elves are amazing_,' Harry mused, observing how Twinkle's eyes nearly touched the floor as she bowed.

HP

Severus watched in annoyance as the Headmaster offered the boy a lemon drop, before he spoke about the Dursleys. '_Can't you see that the child is feeling uncomfortable to discuss this in front of everyone?_' he thought irritated, before he listened to Harry's explanation about his choice of the guardian. '_He chose me?_' he mused in disbelief, telling himself, '_Oh well, he doesn't know that his father was my childhood enemy, and fortunately, he is completely different from his father, even if he looks like him_.'

He was somehow relieved when Minerva was chosen as second guardian for the boy and quickly filled in the parchments. '_Thank Merlin that Albus went to get the signatures from those horrible Muggles. I don't know what I might have done to them_,' he smirked.

"Severus, I suggest that Harry should spend the rest of the holidays in your quarters, so that you have the chance to get to know each other better, before the students come back," the Headmaster announced with that awful merry twinkle in his eyes that was there to annoy him thoroughly.

As soon as Twinkle came back, announcing in his much too delighted eagerly sounding voice that the room for Harry was ready, Severus motioned the child to follow him and led him into his quarters. '_They added the room between the living room and my own bedroom_,' he realized as he led the boy straight to his new room, aware of the fact that Harry could hardly keep himself on his feet anymore. '_His potions must have worn off by now_,' he thought, watching the boy, who'd never admit that he wasn't feeling well if not being asked, in concern.

"Mr. Potter, I suggest that you go back to bed right away," he suggested in his soft baritone voice, causing the child to throw him a grateful look.

HP

Harry noticed in amazement that the house-elves had already brought his luggage to his new room. He found his pyjamas on his bed and quickly changed his clothes, before the professor showed him to the bathroom, so that he could get ready for bed. '_Thank Merlin that he didn't make me do anything but just allowed me to go back to bed_,' he thought in relief as he lay down. '_I like this room. It has a huge desk and I could only have dreamed of having such a large bookshelf just for myself. I also like the different shades of blue, in which the room is painted_.'

"Mr. Potter, can you sit up once more and take these two potions?" his guardian's silky voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Harry sat up and took the first phial from the professor. However, before putting it to his lips, he blurted out, "Professor, I'm sorry, but could you call me Harry in private, please?"

"Very well... Harry," his guardian replied, "you may call me Severus in private."

"Thank you, sir... err... Severus," Harry said happily, gulping down the potions.

The last thing he knew was that Severus gently tucked him in, before he succumbed to a much needed healing sleep.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry woke up by a series of coughs penetrating his ears. He lazily opened his eyes, noticing that his guardian was sitting on the edge of his bed, waving his wand over him.

"Oh I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't intend to wake you up," Severus apologized, "I merely wanted to check on you and spell your potions into your system.

"It's okay, sir, are you all right, err... Severus?" Harry queried. '_Did he just cough, or was that a dream? But he sounds a bit hoarse too_,' he mused, noticing that the teacher's face was even paler than normal and that his cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Of course," Severus replied sharply, instructing the child, "Go back to sleep, Harry. It's only four o'clock in the morning."

"Okay," Harry mumbled tiredly and closed his eyes, unaware of the fact that the teacher spelled the potions into his system, before he dragged himself out of the room.

When Harry woke up the next time, blazing sunshine streamed through the charmed window behind his bed and a glance at his alarm clock showed him that it was eleven o'clock. '_How strange_,' he mused, '_during the last days Severus always woke me up for breakfast around eight. I wonder if he is all right. He didn't look well earlier_.' He scrambled out of bed, noticing that the effects of the potions had worn off as dizziness overcame him when he tried to stand up and hurriedly held on to the night table to steady himself until the room stopped turning around. He slowly made his way out of his room in search for the professor.

Right next to his room was Severus' bedroom, and Harry saw through the open door that Severus was fast asleep, huddled under a pile of blankets. He worriedly stepped into the room, seeing that his guardian looked as bad as he had felt two days ago when his illness had been on its peak. Harry just pondered what to do when the professor let out a few harsh coughs, waking up as a violent shiver shook his body.

HP

"Severus, are you ill?" Harry asked in concern, stepping over to his guardian's bedside.

"I'm fine," Severus growled hoarsely, shutting up when he felt Harry's cold hand on his forehead. '_Just let me in peace and go back to bed. You're not well yourself_,' he thought, feeling annoyed to have someone fuss over him.

"You're burning up if you feel so warm compared to my hand, considering that I still have a fever," Harry observed quietly. "Do you have a thermometer?"

"In the bathroom," Severus sighed tiredly, admitting defeat since he felt too awful to pretend anything else.

Before he knew what happened the boy was back, shoving the thermometer into his mouth. Another shiver ran through his body when the child adjusted something icy cold to his forehead. '_Feels good_,' he mused, unconsciously leaning into the cold touch. He closed his achy eyes and lost himself in his fevered thoughts when Harry's voice pulled him out of his reverie.

"You have a high fever, sir. Shall I call Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, I probably caught your bronchitis. If you go into my personal lab, you find the potion for lung infection on the right side of the second shelf from the left fifth shelf from the top and the fever reducer on the fourth shelf from the bottom right next to the door. Please bring me one of each and take one of each yourself," Severus croaked, hating how much it hurt to speak and how hoarse he sounded.

"Yes sir," Harry replied and bustled away only to return a few minutes later with several phials in his hands, which he placed on the night table. He gently helped Severus to sit up and gulp down his potions.

Severus sighed in relief as he felt the potions kick in. "Thank you, Harry. That helped a lot," he mumbled gratefully. He tiredly leaned his achy head against the head of the bed, took his wand, and waved it over the child, sighing. "You still need both potions and you should go back to bed and rest," he instructed the boy, glad when he gently helped him to lie down again.

"It's all right," Harry replied after hurriedly downing the potions. He took the towel he had previously laid on the teacher's forehead and went to the bathroom to refresh it, before he adjusted it on Severus' forehead once more.

"Thank you," Severus mumbled tiredly, already drifting back to sleep.

HP

Harry smirked as he placed the three empty phials into the sink and returned the still full phial of the fever reducer to the shelf. '_The fever reducer is laced with a sleeping draught, but I can't sleep now. I have to give Severus his next dose of potions in four hours_,' he mused. '_Thank Merlin Severus didn't realize that I didn't really take the potion. Well, I should try to begin with my homework; school is going to begin in a week_.'

He worked on his assignments for a few hours, but noticing that without the effects of the fever reducer he didn't feel well enough yet he gave up and proceeded to sit on the edge of his guardian's bed, bathing Severus' hot face and checking on him every four hours. He had just woken Severus up, taken his temperature, and fed him his potions for the third time, when the fireplace in the living room flared. Harry dragged himself into the living room, seeing Professor McGonagall step out of the fireplace.

"Harry, where is Professor Snape? Both of you missed dinner," she said in a slightly accusing voice, causing Harry to gasp.

"I'm sorry Professor, I completely forgot about dinner, and Professor Snape is ill with bronchitis," he explained in a small voice, causing McGonagall to frown.

"Very well, I'm here now, and I'll look after both of you tonight," she said firmly and made Harry eat dinner, before she put him to bed and made him drink a fever reducer, promising to give Severus his potions later in the evening.

Unbeknownst to the two sick wizards, McGonagall called Madam Pomfrey, who magically checked on both and spelled their potions into their stomachs during the following nights, leaving Harry to look after his guardian for most part of the days. Fortunately, by the time the students arrived back, both were completely back to health.

HP

As much as Harry had enjoyed his holidays with his new guardian, he was looking forward to meeting his friends, and he unnerved Severus the whole afternoon as he kept asking, "When do you think they'll arrive?" so that Severus finally suggested going to the station and waiting for the students to arrive.

Later, Severus was sitting at the Head table, smirking in mild annoyance as he watched the students at the Gryffindor table excitedly exchange their holiday adventures. He observed Harry talking animatedly to his friends, while he barely touched his food. All of a sudden, Harry stood up from his seat and left the Great Hall in a huff, causing Severus to frown, knowing that it was essential for Harry to eat as much as possible since he had been ill for two weeks and had barely been able to eat anything during that time.

Severus turned his eyes to Harry's friends, noticing that they were verbally fighting with each other. He quietly strode over to the House table, standing behind Weasley and Granger.

"It's Harry's decision and not ours and you should just accept that without making him miserable," he heard Granger hiss at Weasley, before he cleared his throat, causing the students to jump startled.

"Ms. Granger, please tell Mr. Potter that he has to come to my office at eight o'clock sharp for detention because of leaving the Welcoming Feast only five minutes after the beginning of dinner."

"Yes sir," Granger replied politely, while Weasley threw him a menacing glare, which Severus returned with pleasure, before he made his way back to the Head table, seeing that Granger hurriedly left the Great Hall as well.

_tbc..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

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**Chapter 7**

Harry hesitantly knocked at his guardian's office door, sighing in relief when he was called in immediately. The professor motioned for him to take a seat on the visitor's chair at his desk.

"I'm sorry, sir," Harry said quietly, causing Severus to quirk an eyebrow in silent question.

"You should know better than to miss meals, especially considering that you have been ill during the holidays," he said sternly, pointing to the parchment that was laid out on his desk in front of the boy.

Harry glanced at the parchment, glad that the professor didn't bother to ask why he had left the Great Hall in a huff. '_I wouldn't want to explain that it was because Ron didn't want to accept him as my guardian_,' he thought as he reached for the quill that he found next to the parchment.

'_I will not miss any meals whoever upsets me_' was written on top of the parchment in the professor's neat handwriting. Harry inwardly sighed. "How many times, sir?" he asked quietly.

"How often will you have to write it to remember the point?" Severus queried, smirking.

"I know," Harry replied dully. "I just was really upset. Ron has been the first friend I ever had, and..." He slowly trailed off.

"Do you think you will be able to remember without writing the sentence?" Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"I'll try, sir. Thank you, sir," Harry replied quietly, looking up in surprise when Severus continued to speak.

"However, since I need to keep up appearances, I can't let you go yet. Would you care about a round of wizard's chess?"

Harry cast the professor a grateful look. "Thank you, sir. Yes, I'd love to play." When they had both began to feel better, Severus had taught him how to play, and they had both noticed that they enjoyed playing together, even if Harry was still a beginner and had no chance whatsoever of winning against his guardian.

HP

After two matches of wizard's chess and eating a whole plate full of sandwiches that Cicero, Severus' personal house-elf, brought for Harry, the two wizards returned to the Gryffindor common room together. "Go to bed early, Harry," the professor told him on the way, looking at the boy in concern, before his face stretched to his usual blank mask as they climbed through the portrait hole.

Harry exchanged a few words with Hermione, who was sitting in front of the fireplace, engrossed in her Potions book, before he retired to his dormitory and went straight to bed, not wanting to have to speak with Ron again that evening. He looked up in surprise as he heard that someone pulled his curtain back and sat on the edge of his bed. It was Neville. "Harry, don't feel bad because of what Ron said," he spoke up in a soft voice. "He has a huge family, which he takes for granted, so that he isn't able to understand you. I understand, however, and as much as I'm afraid of Professor Snape because he seems to hate me, I'm very happy for you. You didn't speak much about your relatives, but only from watching you I know that they probably didn't treat you overly well. Anyway, congratulations, Harry."

"Thank you, Neville," Harry replied, feeling extremely relieved by his friend's words. A small smile played on his lips as he drifted off to sleep, thinking. '_I'm really happy to have Severus as my guardian. He is much nicer than the Dursleys_,_ especially in private_.'

HP

The following weeks passed relatively uneventfully. While during the first half of their first year Hermione, Harry and Ron had always stuck together, from the first school day after the winter holidays onwards, Neville replaced Ron, and Harry noticed soon that the boy was a much better match for Hermione and him, since he liked to study as much as them, even if he seemed to have problems with his magic and apparently with his wand. However, neither Hermione nor Harry knew how to help the boy except for practising each spell until Neville managed to do everything flawlessly.

Since Harry still became sick every now and then, he was fairly busy at other times with Quidditch practice and catching up on the school work that he had missed. Fortunately, Hermione and Neville always took notes for him, and Severus always told him that he could come and ask if he needed help. Depending on what was ailing him, Madam Pomfrey occasionally allowed him to stay in his own room in Severus' quarters instead of having to spend some time in the hospital wing.

When Harry was sick and in his own room, Severus usually tried to spend as much time with him as possible, and he used to speak with the boy in a quiet voice, even if Harry was asleep. One day a few weeks before the beginning of the summer holidays, he spoke to Harry about the holidays.

"Harry, is there anything that you'd like to do during the summer?" he asked in a kind voice. Seeing that the boy merely looked at him in confusion, he continued, "Originally, I thought about taking you to Prince Manor, my home beside Hogwarts; however, I'd like to use the holidays trying to invent a cure for lycanthropy, which would be much easier if I remained at Hogwarts. Would you mind staying here during the holidays?"

"Of course not," Harry replied, feeling slightly confused at the question. "I love Hogwarts, and it's so much better here than at my relatives' home." He remained thoughtful for an instant, before he asked hesitantly, "Severus, do you think I could assist and prepare ingredients for you?"

A small smile played on the professor's lips as he replied, "You're very welcome to assist, Harry."

HP

The two wizards spent most part of the summer holidays in Severus' private potions lab. However, Severus insisted that Harry also had to get some fresh air every day and sent him out onto the grounds with his broom.

One evening, Severus instructed Harry to go to bed earlier than usual. Seeing that the boy looked at him questioningly, he smirked as he explained, "Apparently, tomorrow is someone's birthday, and Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and I have planned to take you to the seaside and spend two days. We're going to leave before breakfast tomorrow morning."

'_My birthday_,' Harry thought in surprise. '_I completely forgot about that_.' "I've never been to the sea," he said in excitement. "Thank you, Severus. Err... What do I have to pack? I don't have swimming trunks," he added in a much quieter voice.

Severus chuckled. "Professor McGonagall is not a Transfiguration Mistress for nothing. She'll surely be able to transfigure one of your socks into swimming trunks and the other into a towel."

"Oh right, that's true," Harry had to admit. "All right then, the earlier I go to bed, the sooner it will be tomorrow. Good night, Severus."

"Good night, Harry," his guardian replied, cleaning the lab with a flick of his wand.

In the morning, the two witches and two wizards travelled with a Portkey that took them to a magical resort at the Scottish seaside. Harry was absolutely amazed that his guardian and professors had thought of such a wonderful birthday surprise for him; however, he was still in for even more surprise, when in the afternoon all of his Gryffindor classmates arrived, equally with Portkeys, for a huge birthday party on the beach. Harry enjoyed himself immensely and was absolutely stunned at the amount of presents, mostly books and sweets, which he received for his birthday. Before his friends returned home with their Portkeys, Harry, Hermione and Neville agreed on a date, on which they would meet at Diagon Alley in order to buy their school supplies for the next school year.

Later in the evening, Harry and the three adults spent some time at the shore, watching the sunset. '_This is absolutely gorgeous_,' Harry thought happily and hesitantly broke the silence. "Thank you, Professors, for everything. This was the best birthday that I ever had."

HP

Two weeks after their excursion to the sea, the three friends met at Diagon Alley, accompanied by Neville's grandmother, Severus and the Grangers. Harry realised that he did not overly like Mrs. Longbottom. '_She is very strict and unfriendly; no wonder that Neville was so shy when he first came to Hogwarts_.' On the other hand, he was surprised how open and interested in the magical world the Grangers were. '_Not all Muggles are like the Dursleys_,' he thought, quickly turning away when Mr. Malfoy and Draco stepped over to the group at Flourish and Blotts.

The remaining weeks of the holidays passed too quickly for Harry's liking. He liked Professor Lupin a lot and had hoped that they would manage to brew a cure for him; however, in spite of all their efforts and experiments, Severus always shook his head and banished the potions after testing them on rats. "Harry," Severus said softly, "you do not have to be sad. During the last few centuries, many Potions Masters have tried to achieve this in vain. It was more than unlikely to succeed after just two months. However, I will not give up but do further research, and you're welcome to assist whenever you want, provided that you remember that your school work has the first priority. You are very adept at Potions, and I have really appreciated your help during the holidays."

"Thank you, sir," Harry replied, feeling very much consoled by his guardian's kind words.

"Very well then, shall we go to Hogsmeade to meet your friends at the station?" Severus suggested, making a huge smile appear on the boy's face.

It was a few hours later, after the Welcoming Feast, that Hermione pulled Harry and Neville aside. "I need to show you something," she whispered. "When we returned home from Diagon Alley the other day, I found a strange book in my bag." Seeing that the boys looked at her questioningly, she explained, "There was nothing written in it, so I decided to use it for my notes. But when I began to study our new Transfiguration book and took notes in the book, it began to insult me."

"That sounds really strange, Mione," Harry said in concern.

"It could be a dark object," Neville agreed. "Why don't you show it to Professor Snape?"

"No," Hermione replied in determination. "In fact, it's fairly interesting. When I ask the book questions, it replies, and I checked a few of the answers with my Transfiguration and Potions books, and everything the book said was correct.

_tbc..._


	8. Chapter 8

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

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**Chapter 8**

During the first week of the school year, Harry and Neville observed Hermione write in her black book with concern. However, the girl, who normally seemed to be very reasonable and careful, continued to ask the book questions, seemingly contented with the replies.

"Hermione, how can a book reply?" Harry asked in exasperation, fiercely rubbing his forehead against the headache that had been pestering the whole day.

Hermione chuckled. "It's not the book itself that replies but a wizard with the name Tom. He told me that he was a student at Hogwarts fifty years ago, which is why he knows all the answers to our second year assignments." She showed Harry and Neville the book, in which she had just written, "Can you name the Founders of Hogwarts?"

To Harry's and Neville's surprise, a neat handwriting appeared under her question. '_Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor. Hermione, I can show you to Salazar Slytherin's private quarters. Would you like to accompany me?_'

The three friends stared at the writing in shock. While Hermione wrote back, '_I'd love that_,' Harry let out a huge gasp, ending up in a coughing fit.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Neville asked in concern, giving him a sharp look.

"No, I think I'm sick," Harry grudgingly admitted, noticing that he felt hot and cold at the same time.

Hermione immediately laid her quill down and turned to Harry, placing an icy hand on his forehead. "Harry, you're burning up," she said worriedly and stood up from her seat. "Come Harry, let me take you to Professor Snape."

Feeling too miserable to protest, Harry agreed, and the trio made its way to their Head of House's office. The professor only had to look at the students in order to know what was wrong. He immediately dismissed Hermione and Neville and motioned for Harry to take a seat in his office.

"What exactly is ailing you, Harry?" he asked, before he pointed his wand at the boy's head to check his temperature.

"Everything hurts, head, eyes, throat, chest," Harry whispered back, unconsciously closing his achy eyes at his guardian's cold touch.

"Harry, you're running a high fever," Severus said in a soft voice. "I must take you to the hospital wing." Seeing that his ward was in no condition to walk all the way downstairs, he scooped him up in his arms and carried him through the Floo into Madam Pomfrey's office.

Instants later, Harry found himself in one of the crispy white beds, and he felt a tingly sensation run up and down his body, before the Healer's voice penetrated his ears.

"It was right that you brought him here, Severus. He caught pneumonia yet again. Please tell your students that I'm not allowing any visitors, except for you and Minerva of course, and no school work."

Harry groaned inwardly. '_I need to keep an eye on Hermione_,' he thought; however, before he could voice his concerns to the professor, he succumbed to the potions that Pomfrey had spelled into his system and drifted off to sleep.

HP

During the following days, Harry felt so miserable that his concern about Hermione completely slipped his mind. Whenever he woke up, either Madam Pomfrey hurried to his side or his guardian was sitting on a chair next to his bed. They only exchanged a few words with him, before they spelled the next dose of his potion into his stomach and made him go back to sleep. Once he woke up in the middle of the night. Only a small torch was lit between two windows near Pomfrey's office. He glanced around, seeing that Professor Snape was fast asleep in the chair next to his bed. Suddenly, something caught his attention.

"I'm going to kill you, mugglebornsss," a hissing voice penetrated his ears, and he heard slithering sounds that seemed to come from the walls.

"Professor Snape," he called out to his guardian, realising in exasperation that his voice sounded very hoarse. However, it was loud enough for the professor to jerk awake.

"Harry," Severus said sleepily. "How are you feeling?"

"Severus, there was a strange voice that said it was going to kill the Muggle borns," Harry whispered, anxiously letting his eyes wander around the hospital wing.

"It's all right, Harry. You're delirious," Severus replied calmly, pointing his wand at Harry's head. "I'll give you the next dose now. Go back to sleep, Harry. I'll stay here with you."

"No sir; I'm fine. Please go back to your quarters," Harry replied, feeling very grateful when the professor shook his head.

"No Harry," he said, pointing to a device on Harry's night table that seemed to monitor his data. "I prefer to monitor this until Madam Pomfrey comes back in about two hours. Unfortunately, this is a Muggle device, so that I can't just charm it to alert me in my quarters if something is wrong."

Before Harry could question anything, he drifted back to sleep. He woke up again a few hours later by a huge commotion at the other end of the room. '_What's wrong?_' he mused warily, feeling very reassured when his guardian returned to his side right away.

"What happened? Why is everyone here?" Harry croaked, seeing that many of the teachers were assembled around the last bed in his row.

"Mrs. Norris was killed last night, and Mr. Filch suffered a heart attack," Severus quietly informed him, before he asked, "Harry, do you remember the voice you told me about during the night?"

Harry sat up in excitement, only to feel himself being pushed back into a lying position. "I remember. It was a hissing voice, and it said something about killing..." He interrupted himself to let out a series of harsh coughs. "I also heard strange, slithering sounds."

"Harry," Severus said thoughtfully. "Have you ever heard of Legilimency?"

"No sir," Harry replied, looking curiously at his guardian.

"I'd like to enter your mind in order to see the memory," Severus said in a soft voice. "However, this might hurt your head, and I'm not sure if it would be good, considering that you're still very ill. On the other hand, your memory could help us save other lives."

"Please go ahead, sir. I will survive it, even if it hurts," Harry replied matter-of-factly. "What do I have to do?"

"Just look into my eyes and think of the voice you heard last night," Severus instructed him and stared into the boy's half-open glassy, green eyes. Instants later, he heard the voice that Harry had told him about and immediately knew that it had not been a fantasy coming from the boy's fevered mind. "Harry, do you understand Parseltongue, snake language?" he queried.

"I can speak with snakes, but all wizards and witches can do that, right?" Harry whispered back, rubbing his forehead against the headache that had worsened immensely.

"No Harry, it is not a common ability," Severus replied carefully. "Never mind though. We'll speak about this at a later time. However, I need to show the memory to my colleagues. This is very helpful in order to find out what is happening. Please try to go back to sleep."

"Pfessor," Harry whispered, terrified, reaching for his guardian's cold hand. "Please stay. What if the voice comes back and kills others? Hermione is muggleborn. I don't want..."

He interrupted himself when Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore approached them. "Severus..."

"It was a snake," Severus interrupted the Headmaster. "Harry heard it hiss that it was going to kill the muggleborns. I was just going to show you the memory."

"Albus," McGonagall asked, sounding horrified, "does that mean that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again?"

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore said gravely. "Slytherin's monster must be a snake, maybe even a basilisk, considering that a glance into a basilisk's yellow eyes is deadly."

'Slytherin's Chamber?' Harry mused, tuning out the professors' further conversation. '_The Tom person in Hermione's book promised her to take her to Slytherin's quarters, didn't he? I must tell them about her book. It could be dangerous for her._' He was just about to speak, when Pomfrey strode towards his bed and began to scold her colleagues.

"Mr. Potter is very ill and needs his rest. Leave now," she demanded, glaring at the professors.

"One moment," Harry said, coughing. "I need to tell them something."

"What is it, Harry?" Dumbledore asked kindly, slowly sucking on a lemon drop.

"Hermione has a book, which replies when she writes in it, and a Tom told her he could take her to Salazar Slytherin's personal quarters," Harry croaked, looking unsurely at Severus.

The three professors exchanged horrified looks. Severus was the first to find words. "I will go and fetch Ms. Granger," he said and rose from his seat.

"Bring her to my office," Dumbledore instructed him and left the room behind the Potions Master, who strode ahead with billowing robes.

McGonagall leaned over to Harry and said calmingly, "Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure that your friend will be all right. Twenty points to Gryffindor for informing us about the matter."

"Kay," Harry mumbled, closing his eyes in exhaustion. '_Feels good_,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep when the teacher gently bathed his flushed face with a cool cloth.

HP

Only when Harry's condition considerably improved a few days later, Severus informed him about Hermione's book. "It belonged to the Dark Lord, and he tried to possess her in order to get back to life. It was only thanks to you that we noticed what was wrong and were able to destroy his diary."

"Is Hermione all right?" Harry asked worriedly. '_I hope she won't be upset with me because I told the teachers about the book_,' he thought.

"Ms. Granger is all right, apart from the fact that she is pestering me twice a day asking when she could visit you," Severus replied, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Well able to imagine how Hermione would be able to annoy the professor if she insisted on a matter, Harry chuckled. "Professor, I'm feeling much better today. Can't Hermione visit me please?"

"I'll see what I can do to convince Madam Pomfrey," Severus promised and stepped away to fetch the Mediwitch.

HP

Harry looked at Hermione in concern, when she entered the hospital wing and sat on the edge of his bed. "Hi Harry," she said in a soft voice, smiling at the boy.

However, Harry noticed that her smile did not really reach her eyes. '_She looks as if she was still under shock_,' he mused.

"Are you feeling better?" Hermione asked, giving him a piercing look.

"I'm all right, but what about you, Mione? Snape told me what happened. That must have been quite an ordeal," Harry replied, raising an eyebrow in a very Snape-ish manner.

Hermione let out a long sigh. At first, I was very angry that you told Professor Snape about it. I liked communicating with Tom. He knew so much and..." She slowly trailed off, her voice tear-stricken.

"He was Voldemort," Harry whispered, terrified, gently reaching for the girl's hand.

"I know. When Professors Snape and Dumbledore told me that it was his diary, I knew that you did the right thing to tell them. You probably saved my life," Hermione said quietly. She unobtrusively wiped a tear from her cheek. "Thank you, Harry."

HP

The following months passed uneventful. Hermione still seemed to be shocked by the events for quite a while; however, not only Harry and Neville, but also their Head of House spent much time to speak with the girl, so that she was sooner or later back to her usual self.

"Harry, Neville, I really have a problem," she told her friends a few weeks before the end of the school year.

_tbc..._


	9. Chapter 9

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 9**

The two boys immediately laid their quills down and looked at the girl in expectation. Hermione let out a long sigh and explained, "I have no idea which classes to take next year. There is Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, etc., but we can only choose two of them. I'd love to attend them all."

Harry and Neville rolled their eyes. "I'm thinking about choosing Care of Magical Creatures and Divination," Harry said thoughtfully, "but perhaps we should ask Snape for an advice."

"Don't you think he'll just sneer at us and tell us we were too stupid for our own good?" Neville objected, looking anxiously at his friends.

"He wouldn't," Hermione said firmly. "Maybe that's a good idea. Will you accompany me? I don't want to speak with him here in front of everyone else."

The two boys agreed, and a few minutes later, the trio found themselves in their Head of House's office.

The professor sighed and slowly massaged his temples with his forefingers, before he replied, "If you are sure that you want to hear my opinion on the matter..."

"Yes sir," Harry threw in, and his friends nodded eagerly.

"In ninety percent of the cases, Divination is just invention of stories turned into predictions. Care of Magical Creatures will be good if you need some time to relax because you're otherwise busy with your studies. Muggle Studies might only be interesting for Mr. Longbottom; however, seeing that you have two sidekicks, who grew up in the Muggle world, I do not believe that you need it. For students, who are interesting in learning as much as possible and usually have good grades in all subjects..." Seeing that Neville blushed, he added, "and I'd count all three of you to this group, I'd suggest Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. However, you do not have to choose your subjects just because I said so."

"Sir," Harry threw in, "would it be possible to change in case we didn't like one of the subjects?"

Severus sighed. "You would be able to jump into Divination or Care of Magical Creatures at any time; however, I assume that it wouldn't be easy with Arithmancy or Ancient Runes."

"Thank you so much for helping us with the decision," Hermione said gratefully, looking utterly relieved.

Harry and Neville agreed, and the trio decided to follow their Head of House's advice, knowing that he had probably had to make the same choice in his own time at Hogwarts. Too soon for Harry's liking, the school year was over, and his friends had to return home for the summer. Like in the previous year, he handed Hedwig to Hermione and instructed his friends to write. "I'll ask Snape if the two of you can visit me during the holidays; maybe for my birthday," he said as he accompanied them to the station in Hogsmeade.

HP

Harry and his guardian once again spent most part of the summer holidays in the potions lab, trying to invent a cure for lycanthropy. Unbeknownst to Harry, Severus was also working on a potion to help with Harry's poor immune system; however, unfortunately his research on this matter was just as inefficient as the other project. Just like in the previous summer, Severus kept a close eye on the boy and sent him out to fly for at least an hour every day.

One day at the beginning of August, Harry asked hesitantly, "Excuse me, but do you not like flying, sir? I just thought perhaps we could fly together some time."

Severus let out a long sigh. Flying on a broom involved too many bad memories of his own school time. However, he'd certainly not tell the child. "Very well then; fetch your broom and your Snitch and let's go," he agreed and fetched his broom, which was hidden in the back of his wardrobe.

The two wizards spent two hours flying around the Quidditch pitch, trying to catch the Snitch. Even if Harry won twice, he had to admit that the professor was an excellent flyer and knew that he would certainly lose the Snitch to the man some time if they did more Seeker scrimmages. From that time onwards, Severus always accompanied Harry onto the grounds; however, unbeknownst to Harry, this was not only because he enjoyed flying together with his ward but also for a safety precaution. While Harry had been sick recently, unfortunately over his birthday, the Headmaster had told Severus with a grave expression that Sirius Black had managed to flee from Azkaban and would probably be after Harry. Therefore, Severus had decided to keep an even closer eye on the boy than he had already been doing so far.

Ever after Harry's recovery, Severus knew that he had to inform the boy about the matter; however, seeing that he was still not feeling overly well, apart from the fact that he was disappointed because he hadn't been able to have his friends visit for his birthday, Severus just couldn't get around to speak with him about Sirius Black. Instead, he contacted the Grangers and Mrs. Longbottom and arranged with Harry's best friends' guardians to meet at Diagon Alley in order to buy the school supplies and to take both students to Hogwarts for a week, so that Harry could have some company of his own age.

Harry was delighted to have his best friends stay for a whole week. Since neither Hermione nor Neville loved flying, the three friends spent much time exploring unused parts of the castle or the forbidden section in the library, of which they found out by chance that it remained open during the holidays.

"Severus, thank you so much for having Hermione and Neville for a week. It was great," Harry said gratefully after Severus had apparated Hermione back home and Neville had left through the Floo.

"You're welcome, Harry. I'm glad that you could enjoy your holidays at least a little bit," Severus replied, smirking.

Harry shook his head. "No sir; I enjoyed my whole holidays, except for the times when I was sick. I love to brew together with you, and I love flying together. I can be lucky that you're not playing Seeker for Slytherin now. Otherwise, we wouldn't have won the Quidditch cup twice in a row."

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "I never played Seeker, just for your information. I was Chaser, but I'm glad that you enjoy your extra Quidditch lessons. I expect that our House wins the cup again this year."

Harry smiled, before his expression suddenly darkened and he asked hesitantly, "Sir, would it perhaps be possible for me to ride the Hogwarts Express tomorrow together with everyone else?"

Severus let out a long sigh, remembering that he still had to tell Harry about Sirius Black. However, the staff meeting was going to commence in ten minutes, so that he didn't have time for long explanations. "Very well," he grudgingly agreed. "You may board the Hogwarts Express; however, under one condition. You must sit together with Professor Lupin. He will be on the train to ensure everyone's safety," Severus said thoughtfully.

"No problem," Harry replied in surprise. '_I really like Professor Lupin_,' he thought. '_It's strange that he is going to be on the train though_.' "Excuse me, sir," he asked hesitantly, "but why is that? Is anything different to previous years?"

Severus let out a long sigh, deciding that for once the discussion with his ward was more important than the staff meeting, and he told him about Sirius Black and that everyone assumed that the man was keen on getting to Harry.

Harry visibly paled. "Does he want to kill me?" he queried, looking up at the taller wizard.

Severus sighed. "People, among them the Headmaster, think so. I on the other hand do not believe that he was a follower of the Dark Lord. He was your father's best friend and even your godfather. I have never been on good terms with him to say the least; however, I never saw him at any of the meetings of the Dark Lord's followers. Therefore, I am not certain how dangerous he might be for you; nonetheless, your safety has the highest priority."

Seeing Harry nod in understanding, Severus inwardly sighed in relief. '_This was not easy_,' he mused. '_I can't tell him how I'd love to hand Black over to the Dementors. That would make up for all the times I suffered from his behaviour_.'

HP

In the morning, Professor Lupin apparated to King's Cross together with Harry, instructing him to come into his compartment as soon as he had found his friends. During the first hour of the train ride, Harry told Hermione and Neville about the information that he had received from Severus the day before, and the three students pestered Professor Lupin with questions, once he admitted that Sirius Black had been one of his best friends at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, half-way up to Hogwarts, Dementors searched the train for the fugitive, and everyone was terrified, feeling how cold and sad everything became in their presence. Harry heard a woman shout something, right before he fainted under the influence of the near-by Dementor.

'_Strange that the others didn't hear the voice_,' he mused, nestling deep in his seat while he munched on the large piece of chocolate that Professor Lupin had pressed into his hand as soon as he regained consciousness. '_I'm sure that I heard it_.' He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear Professor Lupin leave the compartment to send an owl to Hogwarts. During the remaining train ride, Harry tuned everyone's conversation out, still shocked by the events and not feeling overly well. Only when they were about to reach Hogsmeade, he slowly began to feel better.

When Harry and his friends left the train at Hogsmeade, their Head of House was waiting for them on the platform. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Potter, come with me," he said in a quiet voice, motioning for the three friends to hold on to a small, inflatable dragon.

"What is this, sir?" Hermione queried with interest and suspicion.

"Are you really Professor Snape?" Harry asked, sighing. Receiving a menacing glare from the teacher, he added, "All right, sir. I just wanted to make sure."

"This, Ms. Granger, is a Portkey, which will take us straight to my office," Severus said, sounding slightly impatiently. "Now if you don't want to cause a ruckus here on the platform, hold on to it," he whispered urgently, and an instant later, the four of them were whisked away.

Arriving in Severus' office, the Gryffindor Head motioned for them to take a seat. "My apology, Ms. Granger and Mr. Longbottom. Knowing how much Mr. Potter hates to be singled out, I chose you take you here together with him. Would you mind missing the feast and keeping him company?"

"Of course not," Harry's two friends replied simultaneously.

"Why, sir?" Harry spoke up in an upset voice.

Severus let out a long sigh, giving Harry a sharp look. "Because you're in no condition to attend the Welcoming Feast. Professor Lupin informed me that you lost consciousness on the train."

"I'm fine now," Harry protested. "Please sir, let me go."

Severus pulled his wand and waved it over the boy. Only when he slid it back into his robe pocket, nodding to himself, he replied, "No Mr. Potter. You will stay in our quarters or in the common room, whichever you prefer, and rest. I'll ask the house-elves to bring dinner for the three of you."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione spoke up. "We will keep an eye on Harry."

The three friends spent the evening talking about Sirius Black and the Dementors and the question why Harry was more susceptible to them than everyone else, until the professor returned.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Longbottom, thank you for keeping Mr. Potter company. Please return to your common room and get ready for the night. Mr. Potter will stay here tonight," Severus said in a no-nonsense voice, which made it very clear to Harry that he wouldn't tolerate any objections.

"Professor, why did no one else hear the voice?" Harry asked, after his classmates had left.

Severus sighed. "The Dementors make people remember their worst memories. I am not sure of course, but perhaps you heard your mother when the Dark Lord entered your house when you were a baby?"

"When I was a baby?" Harry repeated, terrified. "They can make me remember things, of which I normally know nothing?"

Severus nodded gravely. "This is why it makes a stay in Azkaban so horrible. After a while, the prisoners forget all their good memories and can only recall the worst moments in their life. Now Harry, please listen to me. The Headmaster has placed Dementors around the school in order to keep you safe from Black. Please be careful and do not go out onto the grounds alone. Always stay together with your friends. This is not only because of the Dementors, but also because of Black of course."

Harry promised to be careful, knowing that he was always together with Hermione and Neville anyway, apart from the Quidditch practice, when he was surrounded by the whole Gryffindor team.

"Concerning the Hogsmeade visits," the professor continued, causing Harry to cast him a horrified look in anticipation. "Although I signed your permission slip, I believe that it would be too dangerous if you walked through the town in the company of two other third years. Therefore, you will remain at Hogwarts, except for the Hogsmeade visits, which I am chaperoning, so that I can keep an eye on you. Instead, I promise to take you to Hogsmeade at a different time on the same or any other weekend."

Harry sighed but knew better than to contradict. '_It's still nice of him to take me at other times_,' he thought sadly. "All right, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Good night, Harry," Severus said and dismissed him by a wave of his hand. "I need to make an appearance in the common room. I'll come and check on you as soon as I'm back."

"Good night, sir," Harry replied and went straight to bed. By the time his guardian came to check on him, he was already fast asleep.

HP

Although everyone in the castle seemed to be aware and conscious about the fact that Sirius Black was running around the country, the escapee still managed to get as far as the portrait of the Fat Lady that was guarding the Gryffindor common room.

It was during the Halloween feast, which Harry spent in his own room in Professor Snape's quarters due to being sick with a light lung infection, that Sirius Black tried to convince the Fat Lady to allow him into Gryffindor House. Apparently, he was unaware of the fact that the portrait of Salazar Slytherin was guarding the entrance to Professor Snape's office right behind him.

Due to a charm, each word coming from the portrait and its respective conversation could be heard all over Professor Snape's quarters, and Harry woke up when he heard Salazar hiss, "Who do you think you are? Leave the Fat Lady in peace and talk to me, young lad."

"I am Sirius Black, and who are you?" a male voice replied, causing Harry to fully jerk awake.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments. My muse appreciates them greatly._


	10. Chapter 10

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 10**

'_Sirius Black_,' Harry thought, trying not to panic. '_Salazar will never let him get to me_,' he consoled himself, listening in confusion, when the man continued to speak.

"I need to get that rat of the Weasley boy. He is not a rat; he is an Animagus. It's Peter Pettigrew, the one who performed all the murders, for which I was sent to Azkaban. I need him to prove my innocence."

Harry slowly scrambled out of his bed and dragged himself into the professor's office. "Professor Slytherin," he addressed the portrait as loud as he could. "Please tell Mr. Black to wait. I will send Cicero to fetch the professor." '_I hope that he heard me and understands that it's not a plot against him_,' he mused as he returned to the living room. '_Severus must come here and not to his office. If he saw Black, he would hand him to the Dementors without even hearing him out_,' he thought and called Cicero. "Cicero, please fetch Severus as quickly as you can."

Ten minutes later, Severus stormed into his private quarters. "Harry, what is wrong?" he asked sternly, casting the boy a disapproving yet concerned look.

"Sirius Black is outside. He is talking to Salazar. Apparently, he is innocent. I'd like to hear him out, but I was afraid to speak with him alone. I'm sorry for disturbing you at the feast," Harry blurted out quickly, ending up in a coughing fit.

"Go back to bed this instant," Severus said sternly and strode into his office, firmly shutting the door behind him.

However, Harry let himself sink onto the sofa, eagerly listening to the sounds coming from the professor's office.

"Ah, Black, willing to let yourself being kissed by the Dementors?" Severus sneered, and Harry imagined how his guardian stood behind his desk with his wand trained at the other wizard.

"Snape," he heard Black reply. "As I told your portrait, I am innocent." He repeated his earlier explanation about Peter Pettigrew until Severus interrupted him rudely.

"Pettigrew is dead. Tell that fairy tale to your grandmother, not to me," he sneered.

"Snape, you're the Potions Master here, aren't you? And my godson's guardian as well as I've heard. Do you have Veritaserum, so that you can prove that I'm telling the truth?"

"You're willing to take Veritaserum?" Severus queried, his voice laced with suspicion. "How can I be sure that you didn't take the antidote in advance?"

The other voice laughed nervously, and Harry rolled his eyes. '_Where would he get that? Everyone is looking for him_,' he thought, grinning inwardly when the man asked the same question.

"Very well then, Cicero, fetch the Headmaster," Severus instructed his elf.

The office remained quiet for a few minutes, before the fireplace flared, and Harry could hear that Dumbledore had joined the meeting. The Headmaster began to interrogate Black, and Harry listened with interest. Finally, Dumbledore motioned for Black to accompany him to his office and for Severus to head to Gryffindor and fetch the rat.

Suddenly noticing that he felt worse than before, Harry dragged himself back to bed, pondering everything that he had heard during the adults' conversation as he slowly drifted back to sleep.

HP

When Harry woke up in the morning, Severus told him that Sirius Black was innocent and that indeed Ron's rat had been an Animagus and the one, who had betrayed his parents.

"Where is he now?" Harry asked anxiously, unconsciously letting his eyes wander around the room as if he expected the rat to sit in a corner and listen.

"He was taken to Azkaban and received the kiss last night," Severus told him with an indifferent expression on his face. "As to Mr. Black, he is in Madam Pomfrey's care at the moment and will have a trial at the Ministry in a few days' time."

"Severus," Harry said hopefully, "does that mean that I can attend the Hogsmeade visit on Saturday? I'd love to finally be able to go to Hogsmeade together with Hermione and Neville."

"Only if you're completely back to health," Severus replied sternly, handing Harry a phial. While he observed the boy drink the potion with an expression of disgust, he said hesitantly, "Mr. Black told the Headmaster that he wants to become your guardian."

Harry nearly choked on the last sip of his potion, casting the professor a horrified look. "Please sir, tell me that this is not true. I know that I'm a burden, especially since I get sick so often, but I'm so happy to have you as my guardian. Does he really have to become my guardian?"

Severus stared at the boy in disbelief. "You prefer to stay with me?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow. He let out a long sigh. "Well, if you still tell me so, when you have met him and are not feverish anymore, I'll believe it," he said, smirking. "However, I can't promise anything, because as your godfather he might be able to override my guardianship." Noticing that Harry's breathing became laboured as the boy began to panic, he said in a soothing voice, "Don't worry about that now. We'll find a way and if it is that I adopt you, if you really want to remain with me."

HP

Unfortunately, on Saturday morning, Harry was still not well enough to accompany his friends to Hogsmeade. However, he was allowed to meet with Sirius Black in the Headmaster's office, while Severus chaperoned the Hogsmeade visit.

Harry liked the man immediately. He was very friendly and funny. However, he seemed more like a friend than like a father-figure to Harry, and when his godfather asked if he wanted to come and live with him during the holidays, Harry politely declined.

"No, thank you, sir," he said firmly. "I'd like to meet you if that's possible; however, I'm very happy living together with Professor Snape. He is like the father I never had."

"You had a father, Harry," Sirius replied, sounding terrified. "Snape was his worst enemy; didn't Remus Lupin tell you that?"

"Professor Snape told me when he explained about you and my father, and Professor Lupin told me a lot about my parents, too; however, I have never known my real father, and I'm very grateful that Professor Snape took me in after spending ten years with my horrible relatives. I chose him, and I'm glad that I made the right decision."

Sirius was just about to return something nasty, if Harry interpreted his expression correctly; however, the Headmaster interrupted him, reminding Harry that he had an appointment with Madam Pomfrey a few minutes later.

Harry gratefully used the opportunity to leave the unpleasant conversation and absentmindedly walked to the hospital wing. '_I must speak with Severus. He promised that he'd do something to keep me_,' he thought.

HP

To Harry's relief, he noticed that a small smile stole itself on the professor's face as he hesitantly addressed the matter. "Very well, Harry, if you're really sure that you want me to remain your guardian, I will adopt you," Severus replied slowly. "After our last conversation about this, I spoke with the Headmaster, and he agreed and already prepared the necessary parchments." He pulled a rolled up parchment out of his robe pocket and took a quill in his hands, before he gave Harry a sharp look. "Harry, are you really sure?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, smiling. "I am sure. Thank you very much, sir."

"Very well then," Severus said and placed his elegant signature under the parchment.

To Harry's surprise, the parchment rolled up by itself and vanished into thin air. A few hours later, the confirmation arrived in a similar way. It suddenly appeared out of nothing in front of Harry and Severus, who were brewing together in Severus' private lab.

'_Harry Potter-Snape_,' Harry read in amazement. '_This is too cool_,' he thought as his eyes fell on the line that stated, '_Godfather: Sirius Black'_. "Severus," he asked hesitantly, "Mr. Black can't force me to live with him anymore, is that sure?"

Severus looked up in surprise. "Of course not, Harry. You're my son now, and he can't take you away. Also, if you read ahead, you will notice that I made Professor McGonagall your second godmother, just in case something happens to me. She already is your second guardian anyway."

Harry let out a relieved sigh. "I know that. Thank you, sir."

HP

To Harry's relief, Sirius Black resumed his position as Auror at the Ministry of Magic and did not bother him further about the holidays. However, he came to watch every Quidditch match that Gryffindor had to play and often met him at Hogsmeade for lunch during their Hogsmeade visits. He even invited Hermione and Neville to have lunch together with them, and Harry was delighted. '_It's great to have a real father, but having a godfather in addition is not bad_,' he thought happily as he trailed behind his friends back to the castle.

It was at the beginning of Harry's fourth Hogwarts year that he for the first time regretted to have a father.

At the Welcoming Feast, Dumbledore had announced that they were going to hold a Trimagical Tournament, and everyone was very excited and couldn't wait for the visiting schools to arrive.

However, when Harry woke up in the morning of the big day, he noticed immediately that he was getting sick. His chest hurt each time he swallowed, and he had a terrible headache. '_I don't have breathing problems, so it won't be so bad. I'll try to hide it, because I don't want to miss the arrival of the other schools tonight_,' he resolved and chose not to see his father in order to receive a potion before breakfast like he was instructed to do as soon as he noticed that he was under the weather. Unaware of the concerned looks he received from Hermione and Neville, Harry struggled through his classes, glad that everyone seemed too excited and preoccupied with the upcoming events to take notice of him.

However, Severus knew his son better than Harry thought and realised five minutes into the Potions class that the boy was feeling unwell. "Mr. Potter-Snape, please remain for a moment," he called out to him, dismissing everyone else.

"Go ahead; I'll catch up with you in the Great Hall," Harry quietly told his friends, not feeling very eager to eat lunch anyway.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Severus enquired as he laid his arm around the boy's shoulder and led him into his office.

"Nothing," Harry replied in surprise, averting his eyes to the floor, ridiculously hoping that his adoptive father would buy the lie.

Severus raised an eyebrow, sighing at the lack of response. In spite of having felt the heat that his son radiated at his earlier touch, he carefully placed an ice-cold hand on Harry's forehead. "Do you need me to perform a full check-up?" he asked sternly.

"I just caught a bit of a cold," Harry replied, shivering at the cold touch. "It's not bad though."

"I doubt that, but we can try if a Pepperup potion helps," Severus replied, ushering Harry into his own room with the instruction to rest for a while.

Unfortunately, the Pepperup potion did not help, and when Severus checked on the boy before the beginning of the afternoon classes, he was running a moderate fever. "Stay in bed. I'll check on you again after my first afternoon class," he said in a voice that allowed no protest.

However, when Harry's condition remained unchanged in the early evening, Harry begged his guardian to let him go just for a few minutes in order to see the guests arrive. "Please Severus, let me go. I promise to come back here immediately afterwards, and I'll try to not come near anyone, so they won't catch it from me."

"No Harry, you're ill and belong into bed, and that's my last word," Severus replied sternly and left the room.

'_It's a nightmare to have a parent at Hogwarts; if he wasn't my guardian, no one would care if I was a bit sick_,' Harry thought angrily. He pointed his wand at himself, trying to cast the invisibility charm on himself, which he had practised secretly together with Hermione and Neville, when his two friends had visited him for a week during the summer holidays. Confirming with a look into the mirror that the charm worked, he silently left the quarters and headed out to the grounds to search for Hermione and Neville.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Harry, Cicero had once been instructed by Severus to keep an eye on Harry and inform him if he did something that he was not supposed to do. Harry was just standing between his two best friends, observing the guests from Beauxbatons arrive on the grounds, when Severus approached the trio. "Mr. Potter-Snape," he addressed the barely visible boy, "get back into your room this instant. We shall speak about this later on." With that he turned on his heels, leaving Harry in shock.

"You better go back, Harry. I'll come with you," Hermione offered, and under huge protests from Harry that they should stay and watch the events, Hermione and Neville accompanied Harry back to his room.

Harry unconsciously let out a relieved sigh as he lay down. "It's great to have a father," he said in annoyance, "but does he have to be around the whole year?"

Neville chuckled, while Hermione rolled her eyes. "You can be glad that he didn't take House points."

However, Severus was not pleased with Harry's behaviour to say the least. Harry was still quietly talking with his friends, when Severus entered his room, quirking an eyebrow at the two guests, before he spoke up in a strict voice.

"Harry, I do not tolerate this behaviour. You may choose if you want me to take one hundred points off Gryffindor or ground you for a month," he said, taking in that Harry looked worse than before. "If I forbid you to leave your bed, it is for a reason," he continued, glaring at the boy.

"I know, sir. I'm sorry, sir," Harry replied, unconsciously rubbing his forehead. "Ground me please, sir."

"Very well then; you will only attend classes and the meals in the Great Hall. At all other times, you will be in our quarters," Severus said sternly, before he turned to Hermione and Neville. "Since you missed dinner, you may eat here together with Harry. However, this will be an exception. While he is grounded, I will not allow any visitors."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione replied softly, and Neville nodded his agreement.

An instant later, dinner for the three students appeared on Harry's night table. "I'm not hungry," Harry whispered as soon as Severus had left the room. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep in spite of feeling worse by the hour. '_I don't mind being grounded, especially since I'm stuck in bed for the time being anyway_,' he thought as he finally drifted off to sleep.

Apparently, Severus' concern had been for a valid reason, and Harry aggravated his condition so much that what he had begun as a light lung infection turned into pneumonia. Only ten days later, he was finally allowed out of bed, and Severus grudgingly agreed when Harry begged him if he could attend dinner in the Great Hall.

When Harry entered the Great Hall, he remembered that Severus had told him about the Goblet of Fire. '_Wow, this is cool_,' he thought as he took his seat between Hermione and Neville, eyeing the goblet with interest.

"Tonight, the Goblet will announce the participants of the Triwizard Tournament," Hermione informed him, sounding as excited as everyone else. "I hope it's going to be Cedric from the Hufflepuff. He seems to be the nicest of all."

"Who are these?" Harry whispered, looking at a group of unknown people at the edge of the Head table.

"The one next to Professor Snape is Professor Karakoff from Durmstrang, and the group over there are a few Aurors, who are going to stay at Hogwarts during the Tournament," Hermione explained patiently.

"Nymphadora Tonks, Mad Eye Moody and Mr. Shacklebolt," Neville added, sighing. "It's good to have you back, mate."

Before Harry could reply, the ceremony began. Everyone cheered as Cedric's name was announced. '_He is a good choice_,' Harry thought. '_I like him, and he is a good Quidditch player as well. Too bad that we can't play Quidditch this year. On the other hand, would I be able to play at all while I'm grounded?_' he mused. He was only brought back to reality when the Goblet suddenly threw out a fourth small parchment and the Headmaster called, "Harry Potter."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments that fed my muse!  
_


	11. Chapter 11

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11**

"That's you, mate. Go," Neville said in surprise, and Hermione slightly pushed him into the direction of the Head table.

Like in a daze, Harry slowly walked around the Head table into the small chamber, where the other three candidates were waiting. He didn't have to wait long, before Severus strode into the room, heading straight to him. The Potions Master looked absolutely furious.

"Harry, tell me the truth, did you put your name into the goblet?" he demanded.

"No sir, of course not," Harry replied truthfully, barely noticing that a group of teachers gathered around them.

Severus turned to the Headmaster. "Albus, Harry is in no condition to participate in this tournament."

"I agree," Madam Pomfrey threw in. "His health is much too fragile."

"Then why did he put his name into the goblet?" Karakoff sneered. "Now he has to participate."

"I did not put my name in," Harry said angrily, glaring at the professor.

"Harry definitely did not put his name into the goblet. He was very ill during the last ten days, and this is the first time that he left his room," Madam Pomfrey said firmly.

The adults conferred for a moment, while Severus quietly talked to Madam Pomfrey, before everyone turned to Harry again and Dumbledore announced in a grave voice, "Apparently the participation in the tournament cannot be cancelled, since it is a magical contract that can't be broken."

'_Oh no_,' Harry thought, terrified, wondering why a smirk spread on Severus face.

"I am afraid," Severus suddenly spoke up, "that there is no magical contract between my adoptive son and this tournament. The name, which the goblet chose, is 'Harry Potter'. However, my son's name is 'Harry Potter-Snape'. Therefore, my son will not participate in any tournament. Now please excuse us." With that he gently laid his arm around the boy's shoulders and let him out of the small chamber. "Return to your seat, Harry," he instructed him in a small voice.

"Thank you, Dad," Harry replied gratefully, not even aware of what he had just called his guardian, before he returned to the Gryffindor table.

After a long discussion between the professors of all three schools as well as the Aurors, it was decided to cancel the goblet's choice. However, since the Goblet of Fire was charmed to work only every third year, it was impossible to get it to work and once again choose candidates.

"We can't see any other choice than to officially cancel the whole Tournament," Dumbledore announced at breakfast the next morning. "However, the Headmistress and Headmasters of our three schools have decided to pull through with the tournament on an unofficial basis. The candidates will be the first three, which the Goblet chose last night."

The Headmaster's announcement was accompanied by huge applause, and Harry leaned back in his seat, sighing in relief. '_Thank Merlin that Severus helped me_,' he thought. '_I really wouldn't want to participate_.'

During the following months, Harry and his friends watched the Hogwarts champion Cedric Diggory win the first two parts of the tournament. It was on a bright day in May, when everyone was looking forward to the third part, which was going to take place on the following day, that one of the Aurors, Mad Eye Moody, stepped into the trio's way when they reached the entrance hall heading for lunch in the Great Hall.

"Mr. Potter-Snape, may I have a word?" the older Auror addressed Harry.

"Sure," Harry replied in surprise. He did not overly like the Auror; however, so far he had not ever had much opportunity to get to know the man.

The Auror held out a parchment for him to see; however, as soon as Harry curiously reached for the parchment, he felt a strange pull behind his navel and was whisked away.

As soon as the movement stopped, he scrambled up from the floor and looked around, noticing in shock that he found himself in a graveyard between an open grave to his left and a huge cauldron that held an ugly creature on the right side. However, before he could even comprehend his situation, he heard Cicero's voice whisper, "Hold on, Master Harry; I'll take you home."

An instant later, he found himself in the living room of his father's quarters.

"Cicero, what happened?" Harry asked anxiously.

"I will fetch Master Severus," Cicero promised and popped away.

'_Why would Mad Eye Moody take me to a graveyard?_' Harry wondered, sighing in relief when Cicero arrived back with Severus in tow.

"Harry, are you unharmed?" Severus queried, giving the boy a sharp look.

"Yes sir. Thank you for rescuing me so fast, Cicero," Harry said, gratefully.

"Harry, I need you to show me the memory. May I use Legilimency?" Severus asked urgently, knowing that the boy wouldn't like it. During the previous summer, he had tried to teach him Occlumency; however, Harry had not been overly interested and hadn't put much effort into their practice. Instead, he had often complained that Severus' Legilimency attacks caused him headaches.

"Of course," Harry replied, looking straight into Severus' eyes.

Severus carefully entered Harry's mind, trying to not overly hurt the boy. He watched the memory that barely lasted three minutes in shock. When he ended the spell, his expression was grave.

"Harry, do you need a headache potion?" he asked in a soft voice and, when Harry declined, decided, "You are exempt from your afternoon classes. Please accompany me to the Headmaster's office.

HP

"The creature was the Dark Lord, wasn't it?" Harry asked when Severus had told Dumbledore about the events.

"Voldemort, Harry. Only the Death Eaters call him the Dark Lord," Dumbledore corrected him lightly, before his voice turned grave. "Probably yes. The question is who the imposter is, who pretends to be Moody, and why they need Harry. If they want to resurrect Voldemort, they do not necessarily need him, although I can imagine that they might try to get to Harry again. Harry, you must be extremely careful that you're never alone outside of Gryffindor or your father's quarters."

"Yes sir," Harry replied thoughtfully. "Sir, I wasn't alone, when Mad Eye Moody approached me. Hermione and Neville were with me."

"Twinkle," Dumbledore called his personal house-elf. "Please ask Mad Eye Moody to come to my office instantly.

Severus pulled a small phial out of his robe pocket and handed it to the Headmaster. "Veritaserum. Albus, if you would excuse me now," he said. "I need to teach my afternoon classes. I will take Harry with me to the Potions classroom for the rest of today."

The Headmaster agreed and dismissed them, readying himself for his interrogation of the old Auror, who was a good friend of him.

HP

Harry hesitantly followed his adoptive father into the Potions classroom.

"I have to teach the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first years and can very well use an assistant," Severus said, smirking.

"All right," Harry agreed, thinking, '_That's definitely much more interesting than to sit in History of Magic trying to keep myself awake_.'

After the last afternoon class, the Headmaster paid Severus and Harry a visit. "I questioned Mad Eye Moody under Veritaserum, but I can't find anything wrong with him," he told them in a grave voice. "He denies that he abducted Harry."

"But Hermione and Neville saw..."

"I know, Harry; that must have been an impostor," Dumbledore replied gently. "Severus, I have a suggestion to make," he said, sighing. "You've probably heard of this, but during the Death Eater attack on the Quidditch World Cup last summer, Barty Crouch fired his house-elf Winky, because of a suspicion that she might have been involved in casting the Dark Mark. Anyway, I took her here to Hogwarts; however, according to the other elves in the kitchen, she seems to be unhappy about not being responsible for one specific person. I thought that maybe Harry could bond to Winky instead of me and make her his personal house-elf. If she was invisibly with him at all times in addition to Cicero, who seems to be doing a great job looking after him, Harry would be relatively safe at Hogwarts."

Severus quirked an eyebrow at Harry in silent question, before he replied, "If Harry refrains from using her for his school assignments, I agree with the plan."

"Of course I won't," Harry said, rolling his eyes in annoyance, "but couldn't I just pay her?"

Dumbledore shook his head in determination. "No, my boy; Winky wouldn't want that. She wants to be bonded to someone."

Harry cast his adoptive father a questioning look. Severus smirked as he pointed his wand to an empty parchment on the table. "This is the incantation that you have to speak. All other spells will be performed by the Headmaster and myself."

"Winky," Dumbledore called the small elf and introduced her to Harry. When he finished his explanation and asked if she wanted to be bonded to Harry, she agreed with apparent delight.

"Thank yous," she said gratefully. "Winky wills tries to keeps Master Harry safe at all times."

'_What a strange day_,' Harry mused when he went to bed in his dormitory later that evening. '_Now I have a house-elf_.' Severus and the Headmaster had instructed him to not tell anyone about the matter, except for Hermione and Neville, provided that he wanted to share the secret. Harry had motioned for his two friends to come with him into his own room after dinner, where he had informed them about the events of the day and introduced them to Winky, who normally remained invisibly at his side.

'_I should ask her if she can make herself visible to myself but remain invisible to everyone else_,' he thought right before he drifted off to sleep.

HP

In the morning, everyone headed out onto the grounds, where the Quidditch pitch had been turned into a huge labyrinth for the third task of the unofficial Triwizard Tournament. So far, Cedric Diggory was lying ahead; however, everything depended on the third task. Together with his friends, Harry eagerly tried to see anything; however, the tall trees around the labyrinth made it impossible for the spectators to get a glimpse at what was happening inside. It was an hour after the beginning of the event that the first person gave up and had to be rescued by the professors; however, even two hours later, there was still no sign of the two others, and the professors pointed their wands at the labyrinth to remove the trees with a collective spell. To everyone's surprise, there was no sign of Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krumm.

'_Oh no_,' Harry thought, horrified. '_Originally, someone wanted me to participate in the tournament. Maybe that was to abduct me from here, and now they have taken Cedric and Viktor instead_.' He quickly whispered his suspicions to Winky and instructed her to inform Severus. However, before Winky could even pop away, the lost wizards arrived in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, carrying a trophy that had obviously been turned into a Portkey.

A huge commotion began, and a collective gasp turned Harry's attention to the two wizards. Viktor remained unmoving, while Cedric gripped his arm in agony. "Voldemort is back," he heard Cedric announce in shock.

It was a short while later that his father's voice penetrated his mind. 'Harry, the Dark Lord is calling me. I will reply to the summoning in order to find out what he is planning. Tell Winky to take you back to your room in our quarters immediately.'

Harry quickly informed Hermione and Neville and obediently returned home, where he anxiously waited for Severus to come back from the Death Eater meeting. '_What if something happens to him?_' he thought, terrified. '_Everyone knows by now that he adopted me_.'

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments - my muse really appreciates them!  
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	12. Chapter 12

**Harry's ****Head of House**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

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**Chapter 12**

Fortunately, Severus was able to convince the Dark Lord that he had merely adopted Harry Potter in order to keep a close eye on the boy and that he had tried to help him. He also told him that he had tried to help him three years ago when he possessed Quirrell and apologized for failing to properly cast the spell.

The Dark Lord cast a few dark spells at Severus, before he instructed him to become his Potions Master once again and dismissed the Death Eaters. "Severus, I'll call you in a few days and inform you of the potions I need," he said when his followers began to apparate away.

A few weeks later, in the middle of the summer holidays, Severus was summoned and received a list with potions that the Dark Lord wanted. "Harry, I do not wish you to help with these potions," he informed his adoptive son. "They're dark potions, and I don't even want you to know about them. Why don't you invite Ms. Granger and Mr. Longbottom to visit you next week, so that you have company, while I brew these? I should have them finished in a week."

Hermione and Neville stayed at Hogwarts for the week, and while Severus spent the days in his private lab, the three soon to be fifth year students worked on their summer assignments in the mornings and explored unused parts of the castle in the afternoon, casting cleaning spells at the dusty corridors. However, they only found empty rooms or locked doors that were protected with passwords, which they were unable to guess.

HP

During the next school year, Voldemort slowly began to become active, and Harry often woke up during the nights with an aching scar. Sometimes, he even had to watch visions of the Death Eaters attacking Muggles. '_We really need to do something about the Dark Lord_,' he thought, while he tried to concentrate on his studies, knowing that he had to take his OWLs at the end of the school year.

It was a few weeks before the end of the school year when Harry was sick that he had a strange dream. Apparently, Voldemort had captured Sirius Black at the Ministry of Magic. '_Of course, that's where Sirius works_,' Harry thought. As fast as he could in spite of feeling extremely dizzy, he scrambled out of his bed and searched for Severus.

"I need to go and help Sirius," he told his father, who gave him a sharp look.

"Harry, are you delirious?" he queried and, seeing Harry shake his head, carefully entered the boy's mind to watch the vision. "I am not sure if this is a real vision. Let me call Black and confirm that he is not at home," he said reassuringly, motioning for Harry to go back to bed. A few minutes later, he entered the boy's room and sat on the edge of his bed. "Harry, everything is all right. Your godfather is safe at home."

Harry sighed in relief. "Thank you, Dad," he mumbled tiredly, before he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, unaware of the concerned look he received from his guardian, who was wondering if this had been an attempt to lure Harry into the Ministry for a fight.

HP

During the following weeks and the summer, Voldemort continued to attack people, and Harry suffered greatly from headaches due to his recurring visions and lack of sleep during the nights. At the same time, Dumbledore began to research about Horcruxes and informed Harry and Severus about his suspicions that Voldemort might have made up to seven Horcruxes.

"Harry, I need your help in this matter. I have retrieved some information, which I'd like to share with you," Dumbledore said one evening, when he visited Severus and Harry on a Saturday evening.

"Albus, Harry is staying at home over the weekend because he is ill," Severus said in a stern voice. "Apart from that, I do not want him to be involved in this research, due to his fragile health condition. He already gets sick every second week. He neither has time to have anything more added to his schedule, nor does his condition allow any more burdens."

Harry wearily followed the adults' conversation, during which Dumbledore explained about the prophecy, until Severus sent him to bed, taking in his deeply flushed cheeks and glassy eyes, which he could barely keep open anymore.

During the night, Harry drifted in and out of fevered nightmares, before he had a strange dream.

"_Professor, do you think this Portkey is going to work?" Hermione asked with excitement._

"_I hope so," Severus said thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, we won't know if it works if we try with a rat."_

"_So you're going to hand the Dark Lord the phial and it'll take him into space, sir?" Harry queried with a mixture of bewilderment and eagerness._

"_Yes; however, we need to make one small change," Severus replied thoughtfully. "The Portkey must be activated by password. If I hand him a potion, he normally wants me to test it first, before he accepts it, and I am not eager to make an infinite space travel."_

Harry jerked awake, feeling the urge to use the bathroom. He slowly scrambled out of his bed, sleepily rubbing his eyes as slowly realisation set in. '_It was only a dream_,' he thought, shivering violently as the cold air made contact to his fevered skin. '_I must talk to Dad_,' he decided and slowly dragged himself to the bathroom and further into his father's lab.

"Harry!" Severus looked up from his work in surprise. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Harry lowered himself onto a nearby chair, slinging both arms around his shoulders in a faint attempt to get warm, before he hoarsely explained about his dream.

Severus quickly put his potion under a stasis charm, before he pondered the information. "The idea itself is fantastic," he said thoughtfully. "However, the Dark Lord would not be able to survive in space, and his spirit might be able to return to the earth and use further Horcruxes to come back. Nevertheless, your idea is not useless. We could try to develop a Portkey that'll take him back in time, for example to the time of the dinosaurs. However, this will afford a lot of research about Portkeys and time. I suggest that we involve Professor Dumbledore and Ms. Granger in our research, and now you're going back to bed instantly."

HP

The Headmaster and Hermione eagerly agreed to the plan, and when Harry insisted on including Neville and Professor McGonagall in their research, both of them promised to do their best to help. During the following months, the three teachers and three students did intense research on both topics, Portkeys and time involving magic, and at the end of the trio's sixth Hogwarts year, they included Professor Flitwick to help with the final version of the Portkey charm.

"Now we only have to wait until Voldemort summons Professor Snape," Dumbledore said contentedly, before he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.

"This shouldn't take too long," Severus said, sighing. "He ordered a bunch of potions last week, which I urgently need to brew. He'll probably summon me on Friday night or Saturday." He carefully picked up the empty phial that was already charmed and left the Headmaster's office with the three students in tow.

"Thank Merlin this is finished," Harry said tiredly as the climbed up the stairs to Gryffindor. "I just hope the Portkey will work."

"It will," Hermione said reassuringly.

"On the one hand, I'm glad that it's over, too; however on the other hand, it was much fun to do this research work together with the two of you and the professors," Neville threw in quietly. "I'd love to do more research in the future."

"You could try to remain at Hogwarts and become a professor next year," Hermione suggested, sounding very eager as she continued, "Professor Flitwick spoke to me the other day. He told me I should think about if I wanted to become his successor after taking the NEWTs next year."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise. '_I'd love to remain at Hogwarts, too_,' he thought as he sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace, tuning his classmates' conversation out.

HP

On Friday evening, Harry just returned from the last Quidditch practice of the school year, when Winky popped up in front of him and said, "Cicero instructed me to inform you that your father has been summoned."

However, she had barely finished speaking, when Harry was already pulled into a vision, seeing Severus bow in front of the Dark Lord.

"_Severus, my faithful servant. Did you bring me the potion I need?" Voldemort queried._

"_Yes my Lord," Severus replied and slowly uncorked a phial, casting the wizard on the throne a questioning look._

"_Only take one sip," Voldemort hissed; "I want as much as possible of it."_

_Severus slightly inclined his head and took a small sip of the potion, before he returned the cork and handed the phial to the Dark Lord, uttering the incantation, 'Time Port', as soon it had changed its owner._

_Before the evil wizard could even uncork the phial, he was whisked away._

With that Harry's vision ended, and he opened his eyes, looking into the concerned faces of his friends.

HP

The six researchers decided to keep the matter a secret and neither inform the press nor the Ministry of Magic, since they had no proof if their Portkey had really taken Voldemort to the time of the dinosaurs. Therefore, during the following weeks, Harry impatiently waited if he would receive further visions; however, everything remained quiet.

"I hope he had a nice meeting with a pteranodron," Harry said one day, when the trio was walking around the lake during lunch break.

"Why not a T-Rex?" Hermione asked, chuckling. "Oh by the way, I've decided to accept the position of the Charms professor. What do you think?"

"Hermione, I think that's the best thing that could happen to you," Harry said in a soft voice. "What about you, Neville?"

The other boy smiled. "Professor Sprout invited me to become her apprentice for three years," he said, sounding very happy. "And you, Harry?"

"I'd have liked to become an Auror, but due to my health problems, that's not possible. I have no idea what I'm going to do. Maybe I should ask my father if he has an idea," Harry replied, deep in thoughts.

"Harry, you should urgently speak with the professor," Hermione said, looking at him in concern.

"I'll go home and speak with him in the evening, before he comes to the common room," Harry promised.

To his surprise, Severus eyed him in clear amusement, causing Harry to raise an eyebrow at the older wizard in a very Snape-ish way. "I'm sorry, sir, but what is so funny?" he asked in a slightly upset voice.

"That I expected you to come and discuss the matter much earlier, for example right after I told you that you wouldn't be able to become an Auror two years ago," Severus replied, smirking. "In fact, I discussed the matter with Madam Pomfrey, and we would like to offer you to become our apprentice, if that's what you want."

"Your and Madam Pomfrey's apprentice?" Harry repeated in surprise.

Severus let out a long sigh. "First of all, I badly need someone, who can teach a few classes, because it is too much work for one person to be Potions professor, Potions Master and Head of House at once, and you would be adequate as my assistant, because you're very adept at Potions. Moreover," Severus continued, "Professor Dumbledore had the idea of setting up Healing classes as a selective subject from third year onwards. However, Madam Pomfrey is more than busy in the hospital wing. She has absolutely no extra time, which she could spend to teach. Therefore, she'd like to have an assistant as well, and since it makes sense to study Potions and Healing together, she immediately agreed when I suggested for her to accept you as apprentice."

"Wow, that sounds good. Thank you, Dad. I'd love to become your and Madam Pomfrey's apprentice," Harry said in amazement. "I'll go and tell my friends." With that he dashed away and into the common room, where he quickly informed Hermione and Neville.

"So we're going to stay together," Hermione said happily, pulling Harry into a bear hug.

'_She smells wonderful_,' Harry thought, wondering why he hadn't noticed earlier how beautiful Hermione was. '_Well, she's only my best friend_,' he thought as he hesitantly freed himself from the embrace.

It was only a few weeks later, when Neville wondered how he could keep up his relationship with Luna, that Harry began to think. '_I didn't know that Neville had a girlfriend. I'd love to have Hermione as a girlfriend, but would she agree to such a thing? She only sees me as a friend, and I'm not attractive at all with my messy hair_,' he mused, wondering if he could ask his father for an advice. '_No, I'll speak with Neville_,' he decided, looking up as he heard Hermione speak.

"Neville, you should speak with Professor Snape. He'll surely understand you. She has been your girlfriend now for a while, and I don't think that you have to deny your relationship only because you're going to become an apprentice. Maybe you won't even have to teach her. You could also ask Professor Sprout. I'm sure both professors are willing to support you."

"Thank you, Mione. I'll do that," Neville said gratefully.

Later in the evening, when they headed into the dormitory, Harry spoke with Neville about his own question, causing Neville to laugh. "Harry, I'm sorry for laughing, but you're about the only person in Gryffindor who is not aware of the fact that Hermione has been having a crush on you from first year onwards. Just ask her. She'll agree immediately."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked in disbelief, making Neville chuckle again.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Neville," Harry said hesitantly, causing the other boy to look up in surprise, "thank you for being my best friend."

"Thank you, too," Neville replied softly, before he walked over to his own bed.

As Neville had predicted, Hermione agreed immediately. "Harry, I'd love to be your girlfriend," she said in a soft voice, smiling when Harry hesitantly kissed her on the cheek.

HP

It was two years after their NEWTs that Hermione and Harry as well as Neville and Luna decided to get married in a double wedding during the next summer, when Harry and Neville were going to finish their apprenticeships and would became teachers at Hogwarts.

"Let's ask Severus to perform the ceremony," Neville suggested. "He was our Head of House after all."

"That's a good idea," Hermione said. "Ever since I became Head of Hufflepuff two years ago, I've been thinking that he was a wonderful Head of House."

Harry agreed, thinking, '_He was not only my Head of House, but he is my guardian, apprenticeship professor and even my adoptive father. Thank Merlin that I chose him at that time. We could get rid of the Dark Lord three years ago, heal Remus from lycanthropy two months ago, and I look forward to working together with him in the future_.'

**The End**

_Thank you so much for your continuous support throughout this story - I hope you liked it as much as it was fun to write :-)_**  
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